What Is Odoo? A Plain-English Guide for Belgian Business Owners

If you have been researching business software lately, you have probably come across the name Odoo. Maybe your accountant mentioned it, or a fellow business owner told you they switched to it. But what exactly is Odoo, and why is it gaining so much traction — especially here in Belgium?

This guide breaks down Odoo in plain English: what it does, how it is structured, what it costs, and whether it might be the right fit for your company.

Odoo in a Nutshell

Odoo is an open-source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform. In simpler terms, it is a suite of business applications that all work together. Instead of juggling separate tools for accounting, inventory, CRM, e-commerce, and HR, Odoo puts everything under one roof.

Founded in Belgium by Fabien Pinckaers in 2005 (originally called TinyERP, then OpenERP), Odoo has grown into one of the most widely used ERP platforms in the world. It now serves over 12 million users across 120 countries. Its Belgian roots mean it has strong support for local requirements like Belgian VAT (BTW), CODA bank file imports, and structured communications.

How Odoo Is Structured: Modules

Odoo works on a modular system. Think of each module as a building block. You start with the modules you need and add more as your business grows. This is one of Odoo's biggest advantages: you do not pay for features you do not use.

• Accounting — invoicing, bank reconciliation, VAT reports, financial statements
• CRM — track leads, manage your sales pipeline, automate follow-ups
• Inventory — warehouse management, stock tracking, replenishment rules
• Manufacturing (MRP) — bills of materials, work orders, production planning
• Sales — quotations, sales orders, online signatures
• Purchase — vendor management, purchase orders, automated procurement
• Website and E-commerce — build your website and online shop directly in Odoo
• Point of Sale (POS) — retail and restaurant POS, works offline
• HR and Payroll — employee management, leave tracking, recruitment
• Project Management — tasks, timesheets, Gantt charts, Kanban boards

There are over 80 official modules and thousands of community-built ones. The idea is that every department in your company uses the same system, so data flows seamlessly between teams.

Community Edition vs Enterprise Edition

This is where many business owners get confused. Odoo comes in two flavors:

Community Edition (Free)

Odoo Community is fully open-source and free to use. It includes core modules like CRM, Sales, Inventory, and basic Accounting. For very small businesses or startups that need simple tools, Community can be a good starting point.

The catch: it lacks several features that growing businesses typically need. There is no full accounting module (only invoicing), no studio app for customization, limited reporting, and no official support from Odoo SA.

Enterprise Edition (Paid)

Odoo Enterprise adds advanced features on top of Community. This includes full accounting with bank synchronization, a mobile app, the Studio customization tool, advanced reporting, multi-company support, and official Odoo support.

For Belgian businesses, Enterprise is usually the practical choice. The Belgian accounting localization — including BTW declarations, CODA imports, and the Belgian chart of accounts — works best in the Enterprise edition.

How Odoo Pricing Works

Odoo changed its pricing model significantly with version 17. Here is how it works now:

• One free app — you can use a single Odoo app (e.g., CRM or Website) for free with unlimited users
• Additional apps — each extra app costs a monthly fee per user, starting around €7.25/user/month for the standard plan
• Hosting — Odoo Online (SaaS, hosted by Odoo) is included. Odoo.sh (their managed hosting platform) has separate pricing. Self-hosting is also an option
• Custom pricing — for larger deployments, Odoo offers custom enterprise pricing

The total cost depends heavily on how many apps and users you need. A small company using CRM, Sales, and Accounting might pay €25-50 per user per month. A manufacturing company running 10+ modules will pay more.

Important: the license fee is only part of the total cost. Implementation, configuration, data migration, training, and ongoing support often make up the larger share of your Odoo investment. This is where working with an experienced consultant matters. Through odoone, you can connect with vetted Odoo consultants starting at €80/hour who help you avoid costly mistakes during setup.

Why Odoo Is Popular in Belgium

Belgium has one of the highest Odoo adoption rates in Europe, and for good reason:

• Local roots — Odoo SA is headquartered in Ramillies, Belgium. The platform is built with Belgian business requirements in mind
• Belgian localization — native support for BTW/VAT, CODA bank imports, structured communications (+++xxx/xxxx/xxxxx+++), Belgian chart of accounts, and Intervat reporting
• Strong partner network — Belgium has a dense network of Odoo implementation partners and independent consultants
• EU compliance — built-in support for intra-community VAT, GDPR tools, and multi-currency for euro-zone trading
• Multilingual — Odoo supports Dutch, French, German, and English out of the box, which matters for Belgium's multilingual business environment

What Odoo Is Good At

Odoo shines in several areas. Its integrated approach means you do not need to maintain integrations between separate tools. The user interface is modern and relatively intuitive compared to traditional ERP systems like SAP. The modular structure lets you start small and scale. And because it is open-source at its core, you are not locked into a vendor — your data is yours.

For SMEs (small and medium enterprises), which make up the vast majority of Belgian businesses, Odoo hits a sweet spot between affordability and functionality. It is more capable than entry-level tools like Exact Online, but far less complex and expensive than SAP or Microsoft Dynamics.

What Odoo Is Not

Odoo is not a plug-and-play solution. While the software itself is powerful, a successful implementation requires proper planning, configuration, and often customization. You should not expect to sign up, click a few buttons, and have everything running perfectly.

It is also not ideal for very large enterprises with extremely complex, industry-specific requirements (think multinational corporations with 5,000+ employees). For those cases, platforms like SAP S/4HANA or Oracle are purpose-built.

Finally, Odoo's strength as an all-in-one platform can be a weakness if you only need one specific tool. If all you need is accounting software, a dedicated tool like Yuki or Exact might be simpler. But if you need multiple business functions to work together, Odoo's integrated approach starts to pay off quickly.

Is Odoo Right for Your Business?

Odoo tends to be a great fit if your business meets a few of these criteria:

• You are using multiple disconnected tools and want to consolidate
• You have 5-500 employees
• You need more than just accounting — think inventory, CRM, project management, or manufacturing
• You want a system that can grow with your business
• You value having control over your data and system

The most important factor in a successful Odoo implementation is not the software itself — it is the people who set it up. A well-configured Odoo system can transform your operations. A poorly configured one will frustrate your team and waste money.

If you are considering Odoo for your Belgian business, the first step is talking to an experienced consultant who understands both the platform and local business requirements. odoone connects you with senior, vetted Odoo consultants who have a proven track record with Belgian companies. You get a free approval cycle to make sure the match is right, and rates start at €80/hour with a money-back guarantee.