Odoo

This review covers what the platform does, its key features, pricing plans and the two editions, Studio for low-code builders, where it shines and falls short, and how it compares. It is business software built as a set of integrated Odoo apps that share one database: sales, CRM, accounting, inventory, manufacturing, project management, POS, website, eCommerce, HR and more. You start with the apps you need, install additional applications from the Apps menu and expand as the company grows, so one solution based on a single database replaces several separate software tools. Odoo S.A. is a Belgian software company founded in 2005 by Fabien Pinckaers as TinyERP, renamed OpenERP in 2008 and Odoo in 2014 (Wikipedia).

What is Odoo used for?

It is used as an ERP system for small and mid-sized companies that want sales, operations and finance in one place. A typical company runs quotations, invoicing, inventory and purchase, and a website or webshop in the same system, so a sales order flows into delivery, invoice and reports without re-typing data. Teams also use single apps on their own: project management, helpdesk, documents or email marketing. Because every app shares the same data model, customers, products and orders are the same records across the platform, and access rights per user group decide who sees what. For example, a warehouse user can scan deliveries without rights to the finance menus.

Key features

• Integrated apps: sales, CRM, accounting, inventory, manufacturing, POS, project, HR, website and eCommerce on one database.
• Studio: a no-code tool to add fields, change views, build new apps, set automated actions and approval flows, and reshape documents such as invoices (Odoo Studio).
• Community apps: thousands of third-party modules in the Odoo Apps store.
• Reports and dashboards on the live business data, plus spreadsheets in the Enterprise edition.
• Hosting choice: Odoo Online, the Odoo.sh platform, or on-premise.
• Mobile apps for Android and iOS in the Enterprise edition.

Odoo pricing

The plans below come from the Odoo pricing page as of September 2026, shown in euros from Europe. Prices differ per country and currency, so check the page from your own location.

• One App Free: €0 for one app with unlimited users, hosted on Odoo Online.
• Standard: €19.90 per user per month billed annually in the first year, then €24.90. All apps, Odoo Online hosting. No Studio, multi-company or external API.
• Custom: €35.90 per user per month billed annually in the first year, then €44.90. All apps, Odoo Studio, multi-company, external API, and hosting on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or on-premise.

On the paid plans, Odoo Online hosting, backups, support, maintenance and version upgrades are included. A light user at €7.90 a month covers restricted access for roles such as warehouse scanning or POS.

The cost surprise to check: the first-year discount only applies to the initial users you order, and Studio needs the Custom plan, which costs almost twice the Standard price. Implementation by a partner is usually the larger cost for an ERP rollout, so compare plans and partner quotes together.

Odoo Community vs Enterprise

The software ships in two editions. Community is open source under the LGPLv3 licence, free to install and self-host. Enterprise is the paid edition under a proprietary licence and is built on top of Community; you can switch versions at any time (Odoo editions). Studio, the mobile apps, full finance features (bank reconciliation, analytic reporting, budgets, consolidation), payroll, spreadsheets and field service are Enterprise-only. Community users get the core apps but handle hosting, upgrades and support themselves or through a partner. A new major release ships every year; version 19.0 came out in September 2025.

Odoo apps and Odoo Studio for low-code development

For low-code teams, Studio is the main reason to look at this platform. You build a custom app, for example an equipment register or an approval form, by choosing fields, views and automations; Studio adds fields to an existing model or creates a new one, and the result lives inside the same database as sales and inventory. No development environment is required for this. Conditional logic makes fields invisible, required or read-only, approval rules check actions before they run, and the report editor gives access to the XML templates behind documents (Studio documentation). Studio can be your one free app; on the paid plans it needs Custom. For logic Studio cannot express, developers write Python modules, which fits the Odoo.sh or on-premise versions.

Where Odoo shines — and where it falls short

The main advantages, and the costs that come with them:

Strengths:

• One database for sales, finance and daily work.
• Low entry price and a genuinely free one-app plan.
• Studio for no-code customizations without leaving the platform.
• Open-source Community edition and a large ecosystem of modules and partners.

Trade-offs:

• Implementation takes time; an ERP rollout needs process work and training.
• Many key features are Enterprise-only.
• Heavy customizations and third-party modules can make yearly upgrades harder.
• Support quality depends on the partner you choose.

How Odoo compares

• SAP Build: low-code on top of SAP for large enterprises already on SAP.
• Microsoft Power Apps: custom apps for Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 shops.
• Zoho: a broad suite of business apps with its own low-code builder.
• HubSpot and Pipedrive: stronger if you only need CRM.
• Shopify: the simpler choice when eCommerce is the whole business.
• Kintone and Ninox: no-code databases for teams that need custom apps, not a full ERP.

Is Odoo worth it?

It is worth it for small and mid-sized companies that want one affordable platform for sales, finance and daily work, and for teams that need custom apps next to their ERP data through Studio. It is less of a fit if you only need one function, where a focused tool is simpler, or if you cannot invest time in implementation. If you want help with an Odoo rollout or Studio customizations, the low-code agencies and developers on LowCodeDevs can take it on.

Sources

• Odoo pricing: plans, prices and what each includes.
• Odoo editions: Community vs Enterprise features.
• Odoo Studio and Studio documentation: no-code customization.
• Odoo, Wikipedia: history, licences and releases.
• Best Odoo alternative, OpenProject: project-management comparison (written by a competitor).