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Odoo or custom software? Choose Odoo if your work resembles that of many other companies: selling, invoicing, stock, a CRM. You get a lot of functionality for your money: Odoo Standard costs 19.90 euros per user per month in the first year billed yearly, then 24.90 euros, plus setup by a partner. Choose custom software if your work has its own rules that fit no package, or if you need only part of what Odoo does and that part has to work really well. With custom software you mainly pay for the build, with no licence per user.
All prices before VAT; Odoo prices vary slightly per country. The full Odoo bill: Odoo pricing.
Odoo: a suite of apps from Belgium
Odoo is business software from a Belgian company, used worldwide. It consists of apps you combine: accounting, CRM, sales, stock, projects, HR, a website and a store. One app is free; for more you choose Standard or Custom, per user per month. Custom (35.90 euros in year one, then 44.90) is needed for Studio, which lets you add fields and screens yourself, for the external API and for hosting on Odoo.sh or your own server.
If something does not fit, you have Odoo adapted with custom modules, usually by an Odoo partner. Odoo also sells guidance in blocks of hours, the Success Packs: from a 4-hour Starter pack at 587.06 euros to a 200-hour Pro pack at 19,800 euros. You remain the owner of your data and can always download your database.
Custom software: built around how you work
With custom software a team builds a platform around how you work. No package you have to bend to: screens, rules and reports follow your work. You pay for the build, in phases, and then hosting and further development. What that costs and why: custom software development cost.
Odoo and custom software side by side
- Getting started
- OdooFast for standard processes: switch on apps and configure.
- Custom softwareSlower: analyse and build first, in phases.
- Cost
- OdooA subscription per user, plus a partner for setup and customisation.
- Custom softwareA project price per phase, then hosting and further development.
- Fitting your work
- OdooWithin Odoo's logic, with Studio or custom modules.
- Custom softwareThe platform follows your work, not the other way round.
- Updates
- OdooNew Odoo versions can affect custom modules; they have to be ported.
- Custom softwareYou decide when anything changes.
- Breadth
- OdooVery broad: from accounting to website.
- Custom softwareExactly what you need, no more.
- Ease of use
- OdooMany screens and options, for many kinds of company.
- Custom softwareOnly the screens your team uses, in their language.
Odoo wins when your work is standard and you use many apps. Custom wins when your rules are unusual, or when you pay per user for a lot nobody uses.
A package next to a transport company's work
A package: apps you combine
- Accounting
- CRM
- Sales
- Stock
- Projects
- HR
- Website
- Store
Rarely in a package
- Fuel under the Kader B scheme
- Weekly planning board
- Driver app in three languages
A lot of functionality for your money, if your work resembles that of many companies.
Custom: what the work demands
- Fuel under the Kader B scheme
- Weekly planning board
- Fleet
- Driver app in three languages
- Bundle for the accountant
The DA Logistics planning board, example with demo data. The platform has been in daily use since July 2026.
Worked example: five years of Odoo or custom
A company with 15 users. Odoo licences at current prices, first-year discount included; implementation, hosting and upkeep are examples. Before VAT.
| 5 years, 15 users | Odoo Standard | Odoo Custom | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licences year 1 | 3,582 euros | 6,462 euros | 0 euros |
| Licences years 2 to 5 | 17,928 euros | 32,328 euros | 0 euros |
| Setup by a partner, or build | 8,000 euros | 15,000 euros | 35,000 euros in phases |
| Porting custom modules to new versions | 0 euros | 4,000 euros (example) | 0 euros |
| Hosting and upkeep | included | included | 9,000 euros (150 a month) |
| Total after five years | 29,510 euros | 57,790 euros | 44,000 euros |
If your work fits Odoo Standard, Odoo is the cheapest route. If Odoo needs heavy customisation, it often costs more than custom over five years, and you keep paying per user. Add users and the Odoo columns rise; the custom column does not. Ask your own Odoo partner for a day rate: where it is higher than the example, the middle column rises further. The same trade-off for packages in general: build vs buy software.
What an Odoo implementation involves
Switching Odoo on is quick; setting it up for your company is work. A partner implementation usually runs like this:
- Analysis: which apps, which processes, which exceptions.
- Configuration: company data, VAT, chart of accounts, quote and invoice templates, user rights.
- Migration: customers, products, open invoices and stock from your old system or spreadsheets.
- Customisation: fields and screens with Studio, or custom modules for what Odoo cannot do.
- Training and go-live: your team learns the screens it needs.
The more step 4 demands, the closer you get to custom, with the difference that you keep paying per user and your changes must be ported at every new version. Always ask a partner what the customisations will cost at the next major version.
When Odoo wins
- You sell, invoice and track stock like many companies.
- You want accounting, CRM and store in one package, with a partner to set it up.
- You lack the budget for a custom build, and have the time to adapt your work to the package.
- You want to start with a free app and grow.
When custom software wins
For a transport company we built a platform for fuel under the Belgian Kader B excise scheme, with a weekly planning board and a driver app in three languages. Those are rules and screens you rarely find in a standard package. The DA Logistics platform has been in daily use since July 2026, and Zuco Logistics runs on the same core with its own fuel model: one platform, two transport companies, three fuel models.
Custom software is also strong when you come from a spreadsheet only you understand; see replace Excel with software. The difference between a CRM and an ERP, and which one you need: CRM vs ERP.
Odoo against WordPress, Shopify or Exact
| Comparison | What each is made for | Choose Odoo when | Choose the other when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odoo or WordPress | WordPress for websites and content; Odoo for business processes with a website module | Your site is mainly a shopfront for your business software | Your site must rank and carry a lot of content; see custom website or WordPress |
| Odoo or Shopify | Shopify for selling online; Odoo for running the whole business, with a store on top | Your store is tightly tied to stock, purchasing and accounting | Selling online is your main business; see how much does Shopify cost |
| Odoo or Exact | Exact Online comes from accounting; Exact Online Trade costs 269 to 699 euros a month in Belgium with one user and accounting included | You also want CRM, projects or a store next to accounting | Your accountant already works in Exact and you mainly need trade and accounting |
Other packages are listed in Odoo alternatives.
Mistakes on both sides
- Customising Odoo until it is no longer OdooEvery custom module must be ported at a new version. Many changes make upgrades expensive.
- Licences for users who only tick a boxOn Odoo you pay per user.
- Custom without phasesBuilding everything at once is the most expensive mistake; start with the task that costs you most time.
- Underestimating migrationIn any system you move customers, products and history; plan an import with a report.
- No owner on your sideWho at your company decides what the system must do?
Five steps to a decision
- List your processes: what is standard, what is specific to your company?
- Try the Odoo apps you need with the free app or a trial.
- Write down what does not fit, and ask a partner what adapting it costs.
- Ask for a price for a first custom phase on the same list, using the software requirements template.
- Compare both over five years with the table above.
Questions about Odoo and custom software
Is Odoo free?
One app is free. For more apps you pay Standard (19.90 euros per user per month in year one billed yearly, then 24.90) or Custom (35.90, then 44.90). Setup and customisation by a partner come on top.
Is Odoo a Belgian company?
Yes, Odoo is a Belgian company. The software is used worldwide, with partners in many countries who set it up and adapt it.
How much does an Odoo implementation cost?
It depends on your apps and customisations. Odoo itself sells Success Packs from 4 hours at 587.06 euros to 200 hours at 19,800 euros; partners usually charge per day. In our example we count 8,000 to 15,000 euros for a 15-user company.
Can custom software work with my accounting package?
Yes. The DA Logistics platform, for example, includes a bundle for the accountant. Which integration fits depends on the package your accountant uses and how open it is.
When is Odoo too big for my company?
When you use only one or two apps, your team gets lost in screens it does not need, or you spend more time customising Odoo than using it.
Can I move from Odoo to custom software later?
Yes. You can download your database and move customers, products and history into your own platform. Start with the module that chafes most in Odoo and run the rest side by side for a while.