Zoho vs Odoo: which ERP software should you choose for your business in 2025?
Two management software giants are battling it out. Which one will tame your business processes?
When you're looking to centralise your business management on a single platform, two names keep coming up: Zoho and Odoo. Two all-in-one ecosystems, two visions of the software world, and above all two powerful solutions that will appeal to SMEs and large enterprises alike.
The first, Zoho, focuses on accessibility and an ultra-complete Google-style suite. The other, Odoo, offers a modular ERP system designed for operational efficiency. So, between the cloud-native approach of one and the modular logic of the other, which one will really meet your business needs?
We've analysed the two solutions from every angle: functionality, price, interface, integrations, use cases... so you can make an informed decision.
Spoiler? It's a close match. And the best solution will depend above all on the way you work.
What is Zoho?
Overview of Zoho
Zoho is a bit like the Swiss Army knife of SaaS. Since it was founded in 1996, this Indian company has focused on a simple strategy: offering a complete suite of software to manage absolutely everything in a company, from CRM to accounting, HR, marketing, customer relations and even electronic signatures.
Zoho is aimed primarily at SMEs and small and medium-sized businesses, but its scalability will also appeal to large enterprises. And with more than 100 million users worldwide (source: Zoho official website, 2024), including Netflix, Amazon and Suzuki, it's clear that Zoho's positioning is not half-hearted.
It's the ideal solution for businesses that want to centralise all their tools in a single ecosystem, without relying on a patchwork of third-party applications. It has a wide range of uses: marketing automation, sales management, customer follow-up, project management, invoicing, human resources, etc.
Zoho offers unbeatable value for money. With very affordable prices (more on that below) and a 100% cloud interface, the platform competes head-on with giants like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics, but with a lean, affordable approach.
In short, if you're looking for an all-in-one, low-cost, connected solution, Zoho clearly has something to offer.
Zoho's main features
Zoho is a bit like an all-you-can-eat buffet... but in SaaS form. The Zoho suite offers more than 50 business applications, all interconnected, to manage the entire lifecycle of a company. Here's an overview of the most commonly used modules:
- Zoho CRM: for managing sales, customer relations and pipelines, with automation and scoring to boot. A real competitor to Salesforce.
- Zoho Books: for accounting, invoicing and payment tracking, with multi-currency management and European VAT compliance.
- Zoho Projects: a comprehensive project management tool, with Gantt charts, tasks, dependencies and time tracking.
- Zoho People : for HR management, from leave tracking to onboarding and payslips.
- Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Marketing Automation: to automate your e-mail campaigns, manage your leads and create customer journeys.
- Zoho Analytics: a BI tool that transforms your data into dynamic visual dashboards.
- Zoho Creator: a low-code platform for creating customised business applications.
All these building blocks are natively interconnected, enabling you to create automated workflows without coding, while maintaining a consistent interface.
Zoho One
Advantages and disadvantages of Zoho
What we love about Zoho is its XXL ambition. But like any ultra-complete tool, there are trade-offs to be aware of before rushing in headlong.
Here's a summary of the strengths and limitations most cited by users of G2, Capterra and Software Advice:
✅ Advantages of Zoho
- Unbeatable value for money: prices are very competitive, especially compared with behemoths like Salesforce or SAP.
- Ultra-complete ecosystem: over 50 integrated apps, at no extra cost for certain essential functions.
- Consistent, cloud-native interface: everything is accessible via a browser, with a fairly fluid UX and regular updates.
- Powerful automation: especially in Zoho CRM and Zoho Books, with a fairly advanced workflow engine.
- Great scalability: suitable for freelancers and large teams alike.
❌ Drawbacks of Zoho
- Sometimes steep learning curve: with so many tools, it takes time to get to grips with everything (especially if you want to customise).
- Uneven customer support: some users point to unresponsive or hard-to-reach technical support.
- Weaker on certain specialist modules : Zoho does a lot of things, but some tools are less advanced than specialists (e.g. Zoho People vs. a pure HRIS).
- Customisation sometimes limited without using Zoho Creator or low-code.
👉 To remember
Zoho is a nugget for those looking for a cost-effective all-in-one solution, but requires a real investment of time to realise its full potential.
What is Odoo?
Overview of Odoo
Odoo is the ERP made in Europe that has broken the mould of traditional management software. Based in Belgium, this open source software has established itself as one of the most flexible ERPs on the market, with a worldwide community and more than 12 million users (source: official Odoo website, 2024).
Its target market? Quite a broad one: Odoo is aimed at VSEs, SMEs and mid-sized companies alike, with the ability to scale up via a modular approach. Its open source nature also attracts integrators and IT Departments who want to stay in control.
Odoo shines in environments where business needs are highly specific: production, logistics, retail, e-commerce, services, etc. Thanks to its library of over 40 native modules (and thousands of community modules), it can be adapted to almost any sector.
Where Zoho offers a packaged suite, Odoo relies on an ultra-flexible modular architecture. You install only the bricks you need (CRM, accounting, stock management, etc.), and customise them to the extreme. It's an à la carte ERP, designed to adapt to the way you work - not the other way round.
Odoo currently equips companies in over 120 countries. Its references include Toyota, Danone, WWF and Alta Motors. It's a far cry from garage software.
Odoo's main features
Odoo is like the LEGO of ERP software. You choose the bricks you need, put them together and create a customised business tool. This flexibility is its main strength.
Here are the modules most commonly used in the Odoo ecosystem:
- CRM: opportunity management, pipeline automation, forecasting, scoring, etc. with a strong B2B sales focus.
- Accounting: complete financial management with VAT, balance sheets, fixed assets, multi-currency and banking integration.
- Invoicing and estimates: rapid creation, automation, payment reminders, electronic signature.
- Stock management: real-time tracking, multi-warehouse, barcodes, batch and serial number management.
- Project management : kanban, Gantt, tasks, timesheets, and integration with invoicing.
- Website & e-commerce: creation of drag & drop sites, integrated online shop, order management.
- Manufacturing (MRP): production management, bills of materials, production orders, planning, cost tracking.
- Human resources: leave tracking, attendance, payroll, recruitment, appraisal.
Each module is natively integrated with the others. For example? An order validated in the CRM can trigger an invoice, stock management, delivery, or even production if necessary.
And to take things even further, Odoo offers a marketplace with thousands of community apps, from customer ticketing to environmental monitoring.
Odoo
Advantages and disadvantages of Odoo
Odoo is a bit like a Formula 1 car: ultra-powerful, but you need to know how to drive it. Here are the strengths and limitations to bear in mind.
✅ Advantages of Odoo
- Extreme modularity: you only pay for what you need, you customise each component, you adapt the tool to your processes.
- Open source & community: you can host the tool locally, modify the code or call on an army of partners.
- Extensive functional coverage : Odoo covers an impressive number of business areas, even very specific ones (manufacturing, supply chain, construction, etc.).
- Modern, unified interface : clean design, well-thought-out ergonomics, fluidity between modules.
- Rich Marketplace: thousands of apps available to push customisation even further.
❌ Odoo drawbacks
- Technical learning curve: to get the best out of the open source version, it's best to have in-house skills or use an integrator.
- Time-consuming customisation: flexibility comes at a cost: configuring a well-oiled Odoo takes time (and sometimes budget).
- Some advanced features reserved for the Enterprise version: the free version is limited for large-scale professional use.
- Sometimes variable support: depends on the partner or channel used (direct or via integrator).
👉 To remember
Odoo is tailor-made for companies with specific needs and the structure to exploit it to the full. If you're looking for an off-the-shelf ERP, you'll have to pass. If you're looking for a tailor-made solution, Odoo is a gem.
Zoho vs Odoo: compare features
When you hesitate between Zoho and Odoo, it's often because they both promise complete enterprise coverage. But their approach is very different: Zoho focuses on all-in-one simplicity, Odoo on modular flexibility.
Here's a table to lay the foundations before going into detail:
| Functionality | Zoho | Odoo |
| CRM | ✅ Complete, SME-oriented | ✅ Advanced, customisable |
| Accounting & billing | ✅ Integrated with automation | ✅ Very powerful, multi-standard |
| Project management | ✅ Simple, visual | ✅ Customisable, Gantt, Kanban |
| E-commerce | ⚠️ Very basic | ✅ Complete integrated module |
| Production & logistics | ❌ Limited | ✅ MRP, stock, manufacturing modules |
| Marketing automation | ✅ Integrated tools | ✅ Possible but less native |
| BI & reporting | ✅ Zoho Analytics | ✅ Odoo Studio + advanced modules |
| Customization | ⚠️ Limited without Zoho Creator | ✅ Very advanced, open source |
| External integrations | ✅ Numerous third-party apps | ✅ Via API and rich community |
Focus 1: CRM and customer management
Zoho CRM is one of the ecosystem's flagship products. It stands out for its ease of use, fluid automation (lead scoring, reminders, tasks, workflows) and local business focus.
Odoo CRM, on the other hand, is more technical, but far more flexible. It can be used to integrate very specific pipelines, automate advanced scenarios (e.g. reminders after quotation refusals), and interface with production, stock and accounting modules.
👉 To remember
Zoho CRM is ideal for fast, fluid sales teams. Odoo CRM will appeal to those who want to model everything in their own way.
Focus 2: Accounting and invoicing
Zoho Books offers simple, clear and efficient accounting, perfect for SMEs. It includes invoicing, bank reconciliation, tax management, quotations - everything you need for standard management.
Odoo goes much further. It manages fixed assets, analytical entries, complex tax rules, multi-jurisdictional management, and so on. It's pure ERP.
👉 To remember
For standard accounting, Zoho does the job very well. For complex or multi-site needs, Odoo is clearly the superior choice.
Focus 3: Project management
Zoho Projects is simple, visual and fun to use every day. Gantt, time tracking, milestones - it's all there for managing marketing, sales or internal projects.
Odoo, on the other hand, offers a highly customisable project management module, with strong integration with accounting, timesheets and invoicing. Ideal for service companies.
👉 To remember
For rapid collaborative use, Zoho Projects is top. If the project is linked to invoicing or production cycles, Odoo has the edge.
Focus 4: E-commerce and multi-channel sales
Zoho offers a number of e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), but does not have a native online shop module.
Odoo offers a truly integrated e-commerce CMS, fully connected to stock management, invoicing and delivery. An all-in-one solution for launching and managing an online shop without plug-ins.
👉 To remember
If you do e-commerce, Odoo offers you a complete solution. With Zoho, you'll need to connect third-party tools.
Focus 5: Customisation and adaptability
This is where the gap widens. Zoho allows a few adjustments via Zoho Creator (low-code), but remains structured around a standardised logic.
Odoo is designed to be modified, extended and adapted, with open code, documentation and an active community. You can literally create your own tailor-made ERP.
👉 To remember
If you want a ready-to-use tool with a few tweaks, Zoho is perfect. If you have very specific business needs, or a strong IT strategy, Odoo is the ideal playground.
Zoho vs Odoo: compare prices
Zoho and Odoo have two very different pricing approaches:
- Zoho offers very affordable packaged solutions with "all-in-one" bundles.
- Odoo works in modular mode: you pay per user + chosen module, with a real differential between the Community version (free) and the Enterprise version (paying).
|
Plan |
Zoho One |
Odoo Enterprise |
|
Free |
0/month - Limited access (Zoho CRM Free, 3 users max, isolated apps) |
0/month (Community) - Self-hosted open source version, no official support |
|
Entry-level |
14/month (Standard CRM) - Pipeline management, lead scoring, reporting |
24.90/month - 1 app (e.g. CRM), no Studio, cloud hosting included |
|
Mid-range |
37/month (Zoho One) - 50+ apps, automation, analytics, standard support |
24.90/month + modules - CRM + Accounting + Projects, with Studio, customisations |
|
Top of the range |
~50-60 €/month - Zoho One + Zoho Creator + custom extensions |
24.90/month + modules + integrator services - Full ERP, custom deployment |
Zoho vs Odoo: which interface is more intuitive?
User experience can make or break the adoption of software. Between Zoho and Odoo, two philosophies clash: cloud-native simplicity on the one hand, adaptable modularity on the other.
Zoho offers a clear, modern and consistentinterface across all its applications. The Zoho UX is fluid, light and ready to use. But it becomes more complex to master when you activate a lot of applications in parallel.
Odoo relies on a sober, modular interface, designed to adapt to the most varied business processes. But beware: the more you customise Odoo, the more you need to support the interface so as not to lose your teams.
|
Criteria |
Zoho |
Odoo |
|
Getting started |
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Very fast |
⭐⭐☆☆☆ - Depends on configuration |
|
Interface customisation |
⭐⭐☆☆☆ - Possible via Zoho Creator |
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Very advanced via Studio or dev |
|
Mobile experience |
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Very neat dedicated apps |
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ - Mobile correct but sometimes limited |
|
Overall ergonomics |
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Unified, intuitive |
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ - Good, but depends on setup |
|
Learning curve |
⭐⭐☆☆☆ - Simple initially, more complex at larger scale |
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ - Requires training or integrator |
👉 To remember
- Zoho's clarity and consistency make it ideal for a wide range of teams without a dedicated IT team.
- Odoo offers a more customisable interface, but requires rigorous deployment.
Zoho vs Odoo: compare integrations
Connecting your ERP to other business tools (accounting, e-commerce, emailing, logistics, etc.) has become essential. And here again, Zoho and Odoo are not quite playing on the same field.
| Criterion | Zoho | Odoo |
| Number of integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - +1000 via Zoho Marketplace + Zapier, Make, etc. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - +2000 modules available on Odoo Apps (official + community) |
| Ease of integration | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Plug & play connections, simple interfaces | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ - May require third-party devs or integrators |
| Automations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Very powerful, integrated Zoho Flow (Zapier type) | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ - Possible via Studio or scripts, more technical |
👉 To remember
- Zoho offers a highly accessible integrated experience, with its own automation tools (Zoho Flow) and a well-stocked marketplace. Ideal for connecting apps without coding.
- Odoo offers superior integration power over the long term, especially thanks to its open source logic. But you'll need to get your hands dirty (or work with an integrator).
When to choose Zoho or Odoo?
Zoho or Odoo? The answer depends on your priorities, your team's digital maturity and your need for customisation. Here are the most common use cases to guide you.
If you're an SME looking to centralise your tools in a straightforward way...
✅ Choose Zoho
- You want a ready-to-use solution with CRM, marketing, accounting, HR and reporting in a single environment.
- You don't have an in-house IT team and you're looking for a quick start.
- Your processes are standard, and you want to automate without coding (Zoho Flow, Blueprint...).
- You're looking for a consistent, mobile-friendly and cloud-native interface.
- You want to control your costs without piling on modules.
Concrete examples:
- A marketing agency that wants to manage its leads, projects and invoicing.
- A growing start-up that needs an all-in-one ecosystem to structure its management.
If you have complex or specific processes to model...
✅ Choose Odoo
- Your business requires specific workflows (manufacturing, logistics, multi-stock, etc.).
- You need a tailor-made ERP, and you're prepared to invest time (or work with an integrator).
- You want to centralise e-commerce, accounting, logistics and HR data flows in a fully interconnected tool.
- You want an open source ERP that is modular and infinitely customisable.
- Your IT team wants to keep control of the code, hosting and data.
Concrete examples:
- An industrial manufacturer wanting to link production, stock, purchasing and customer orders.
- A multi-site company with complex tax rules or several currencies.
Things to remember about the Zoho vs Odoo battle
Zoho and Odoo play in the same league, but with radically different styles. One shines for its simplicity and accessibility, the other for its power and extreme customisation.
To sum up?
- Zoho is the smart all-in-one, ideal for moving fast without sacrificing functionality.
- Odoo is the chameleon of management software, perfect for organisations that like to control everything.
Your needs Our recommendation A complete, ready-to-use software suite 🟢 Zoho An easy-to-use solution, with no need for a dedicated IT team 🟢 Zoho A highly customisable ERP 🔵 Odoo A tool for managing production, stocks and the supply chain 🔵 Odoo An all-in-one business platform (CRM, HR, marketing...) 🟢 Zoho An open source, modular, scalable ecosystem 🔵 Odoo A bespoke ERP with full process integration 🔵 Odoo Simple automation without code 🟢 Zoho
FAQ about Zoho vs Odoo
1. Are Zoho and Odoo really comparable?
Yes, in the sense that they are two all-in-one business management solutions. But their logic is different: Zoho is a packaged suite ready for use, Odoo is a modular ERP that can be customised. One is plug & play, the other is bespoke.
2. Which software is easier to use?
👉 Zoho wins on this point. Its interface is intuitive, consistent and designed to be used without any technical training. Odoo requires more learning, especially in the case of advanced configuration.
3. Is Odoo really free?
Yes, in the Community open source version, but beware: this version does not include all the key functions (accounting, Studio, support, etc.). And it requires self-hosting and technical skills. There is a charge for the Enterprise version.
4. Can you really manage everything with Zoho?
Pretty much! CRM, HR, accounting, marketing, customer support, BI... it's all there. But if you have very specific needs (e.g. manufacturing, complex logistics), Zoho shows its limitations compared with Odoo.
5. Which software should I choose for an industrial or logistics company?
Without hesitation: Odoo. Its production, MRP, multi-warehouse stock management and traceability modules are much more advanced than those offered (or absent) by Zoho.
6. Zoho or Odoo, which is cheaper?
👉 For an SME with standard needs, Zoho is often more economical thanks to its unique "Zoho One" package.
👉 For customised projects, Odoo may cost more in integration and maintenance, but becomes unbeatable in the long term if well optimised.
7. Can Zoho be customised like Odoo?
Not on the same scale. Zoho offers Zoho Creator (low-code) to adapt certain business logics, but remains within a fairly rigid framework. Odoo, on the other hand, allows you to modify everything (code, database, interface, business rules, etc.).
8. Which of the two is more suitable for international use?
Both are used worldwide. But Odoo offers more options for accounting localisation and multi-currency management, making it a more solid choice for companies operating in several countries.
Article translated from French