Odoo Community vs Odoo Enterprise - What are the differences?

Author : Alex Forsyth | Published On : 20 Dec 2023

Odoo stands out as a leading open-source ERP system in today's market, featuring a comprehensive suite of business management applications. Its diverse range of specialised modules caters to virtually all operational needs within a company, ensuring effective business management.

What sets Odoo ERP apart is its remarkable adaptability, making it a preferred choice across various industries, irrespective of organisational size or nature. The robust features of the Odoo modules contribute to enhancing employee productivity, thereby boosting overall business efficiency.

To access the latest features and modules, simply upgrade to the newest version. Odoo provides two editions - Community and Enterprise - for users to choose from. In essence, the Community edition is free of cost, allowing you to utilise the module for your company without any payment requirements.

Odoo Enterprise operates under a licensed and shared source model, while Odoo Community is a fully open-sourced version, offering increased flexibility in business functionalities.

Both the Odoo Community and Odoo Enterprise editions come equipped with a range of valuable modules tailored for diverse company operations. Modules for sales, purchases, accounting, inventory, and more are included in both versions.

 

To leverage the advantages of Odoo Enterprise and Odoo Community for unique business needs, a thorough comparison of the two platforms is essential. Evaluate and contrast the versions using various criteria such as support, bug fixes, upgrades, hosting, and pricing to make an informed decision for your business.

 

Here’s a brief about both. 

Odoo Community:

Odoo Community, released under the LGPLv3 license, is an open-source edition designed and tested by Odoo. Ideal for business enterprises, it offers diverse, customisable modules for commercial operations. However, it has limitations compared to Odoo Enterprise, lacking unrestricted functional support, version upgrades, and hosting assistance. Notably, the studio app does not support mobile devices. Additionally, Odoo Community restricts full usage of modules like Sales, HRMS, Website, eCommerce, highlighting some trade-offs for businesses seeking comprehensive features and support. Despite these limitations, Odoo Community remains a valuable, cost-free option for fulfilling essential business requirements.

Odoo Enterprise:

The Odoo Enterprise Edition builds upon Odoo Community, enhancing operational speed, efficiency, and mobile browser compatibility. Provided by Odoo SA, Enterprise offers unlimited functional support, regular upgrades, and cloud hosting support for public and private domains. Subscription fees vary based on user count and app usage. Transforming a business into a provider of proprietary services, Odoo Enterprise includes numerous additional features absent in Odoo Community. Notable modules like Data Cleaning, Sign, Help Desk, Marketing Automation, Quality Management, and more are exclusive to Enterprise. It excels with features such as barcode integration, shipping connector, MPS, VOIP, setting it apart from Odoo Community in terms of functionality and application diversity.

 

Now, let’s dive into the differences between the two. 

User Interface:

The Odoo Enterprise Version is accessible on both mobile and desktop devices, whereas the Odoo Communication Edition is exclusively available on desktops. Furthermore, the Odoo Community version employs a standard interface, while the Odoo Enterprise version boasts an intuitive and efficient navigation experience.

Studio Access:

Seamless customisation of your system directly within the application is facilitated. Odoo Enterprise Edition users have the privilege of utilising Screen Customisation, Report Designer, Menus Editor, and Apps Creator. These features are not extended to CE users and impose certain limitations on Odoo customisation. Therefore, when utilising this module, modifications are confined to the database and not the system code.

Accounting:

The accounting app is accessible not only to Odoo Community and Enterprise users but users from these versions are limited to the payment and invoicing modules only. Conversely, Enterprise Edition users have exclusive access to the comprehensive accounting suite.

Project Management:

The Enterprise Edition offers features such as employee timesheets and forecasting. The Community Edition, geared towards essential-level small businesses, omits these features as they may not align with the preferences of such businesses that prioritise basic functionalities over forecasts and employee timesheets.

Sales Management:

Both Odoo Community and Enterprise Edition users can avail themselves of CRM, Customer portal, and Sales features. However, Enterprise Edition users enjoy additional access to VoIP integration, subscriptions, digital products, helpdesk, and e-signature functionalities.

Inventory Management:

Both Odoo Community and Enterprise support inventory and purchasing management. Nonetheless, Odoo Enterprise Edition users gain access to numerous supplementary modules such as barcode support and integration with major shipping companies like FedEx, UPS, and DHL. 

 

Alex Forsyth is an experienced Odoo ERP consultant associated with Envertis, a certified Odoo Gold Partner in Australia. In this article, the author has shared a detailed comparison between Odoo Community and Enterprise editions to help you know both and make an informed decision while choosing one for your business.