Odoo Enterprise vs. Community

Odoo Enterprise vs. Community 

Many companies considering Odoo as an ERP platform often choose Odoo Enterprise, and that can be a good decision as well. The Enterprise version offers a number of benefits and ready-made features that can be attractive to many companies. 

But that doesn't necessarily mean that Enterprise is always the best choice. 

For some companies – both large and small – Odoo Community can be a more flexible and financially attractive alternative. Especially if they have access to the right technical skills and an experienced development team behind them. 

Therefore, here is an overview of the differences between Odoo Enterprise and Community.  

Get an overview: Odoo Community vs. Odoo Enterprise 

Both Odoo Community and Enterprise are open source solutions that give you the flexibility to customize the system to your specific needs. The Community version is free to use, while the Enterprise version, which builds on Community, requires an annual license fee per user. 

In addition, there are also a number of differences in apps and functionality, which we have tried to summarize in the table here:  

As the table shows, there are some apps that are not available in Odoo Community by default, while other apps have more limited functionality compared to the Enterprise version. However, this does not mean that you have to do without features and apps if you choose Odoo Community - much of the missing functionality can be obtained through customization or third-party modules. 

Benefits of Odoo Community 

With Odoo Enterprise you get a more complete solution from the start, ready to use according to your needs. This does not mean that you cannot achieve this with the Community version. This version also has its clear strengths: 

1. No licensing fees 

For many larger companies, it is a clear advantage that there are no licensing costs associated with using Odoo Community. This version is completely free to use, but there will be costs associated with hosting.  

For companies with many users, this can provide significant savings compared to an Enterprise version, where a fixed license must be paid per user.  

2. Can be scaled and adapted over time 

With Odoo Community, you have the opportunity to scale and adapt your ERP platform to your business needs. With the right development skills, you can implement new functionality, extend existing workflows or automate specific processes. 

3. Suitable for both small and large businesses 

Many people think that the Community version is only for smaller companies, but that is a misconception. With the right technical resources, the Community version can easily form the foundation for large, complex ERP solutions with many users and advanced business processes. It just requires a professional approach to architecture, operations, integrations and maintenance. 

Challenges and considerations 

Although Community has many strengths, it is important that you know the potential disadvantages that may arise for you by choosing Odoo Community over Odoo Enterprise: 

• Missing certain features  
  The Community version is by default limited in functionality compared to Enterprise. With Community, you can for example do without the mobile app, subscription management, timesheets, etc. 
• Requires technical competence  
  An Odoo Community solution requires that you have technical know-how yourself or have a partner who can help you, as there is no support from Odoo itself. 
• More responsibility  
  Because the Community version is open source and you can't get support from Odoo itself, it also places greater demands on you - and gives you greater responsibility. In other words, you have to handle updates, hosting and security yourself, unless you have a partner like us.  

When should you choose Community or Enterprise? 

Community is often the right choice if: 

• You have many users and want to minimize licensing costs 
• You have technical resources internally or a permanent IT partner as itpilot 
• You only need the basic Odoo modules 
• You need special development or integrations 

On the other hand, Enterprise is the obvious choice if: 

• You will be up and running quickly with minimal customization 
• You need the advanced modules and features 
• You want support directly from Odoo  
• You will use Odoo.sh and the mobile app 

Contact us to find out more 

Odoo Community is not for everyone, but with the right partner, it can be a highly effective and economical ERP solution.  

At itpilot, we help you assess whether Community or Enterprise is the right choice. And if you choose Community, we can handle everything from hosting and development to support and operations. 

Contact us today for a no-obligation chat about your options with Odoo. Call us on +45 87 25 07 87 or fill out the contact form.