social.tech

Odoo alternative: a custom ERP or CRM system

Odoo is ready-made business software with a separate app for each area of a company. If the company's process does not fit the Odoo apps, if Odoo customisation needs a partner, or if you need your own code and server, the alternative is a custom ERP or CRM system built around that process.

What is Odoo and what is a custom system?

Odoo — Odoo is business software with apps for sales, CRM, accounting, inventory, HR, projects, point of sale and website; the Odoo Standard and Custom plans include all apps for one fee (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026). Odoo comes in two editions: Odoo Community (open source) and Odoo Enterprise (licensed); Enterprise is built on top of Community (vendor's website, checked 09.11.2026). An Odoo user picks the apps they need and sets them up within the product's limits; a process the standard apps do not cover is handled in Odoo with extra modules or Odoo Studio. A custom system is a different approach: an ERP or CRM is built for one company, and its data model, statuses, screens and integrations follow the company's way of working rather than the structure of a ready-made product. A custom system has no per-user licence; its cost is development, hosting and maintenance. The choice between Odoo and a custom system is usually a choice between a ready-made product with a wide feature set and a narrow system that does only what the company needs.

When is Odoo the right choice?

Odoo is the right choice when the company's processes follow a typical sales, inventory and accounting model and the company is ready to adapt its way of working to the logic of the Odoo apps. Odoo also fits when you need to start fast with many features at once instead of waiting for development.

  • The company needs one app: Odoo plans: One App Free — 0 EUR (one app, unlimited users); Standard — 24.90 EUR and Custom — 44.90 EUR per user per month billed yearly; for the first 12 months the vendor shows a discount for the initial users (Standard 19.90 EUR, Custom 35.90 EUR) (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026).
  • You need many areas in one product — CRM, sales, inventory, invoicing, projects — and the standard logic of each area fits.
  • The company has an IT team or an Odoo partner who works with the open-source Odoo Community code and writes the modules needed.
  • The process can be set up in Odoo without programming, and Odoo customisation is not needed or is small.

Why do companies look for an Odoo alternative?

Companies look for an Odoo alternative when the ready-made system's logic starts to dictate the way of working instead of the other way round. The reasons are usually five, and they apply to any ready-made ERP or CRM, not only to Odoo.

  • Per-user licences grow with the team: every new employee who needs access raises the monthly payment.
  • Customisation needs a partner: Odoo implementation services (analysis, data import, customisation, training) and the maintenance of custom code are not included in the subscription; companies under 50 employees usually work with Odoo directly (Success Packs), larger ones with an Odoo partner (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026).
  • The process needs a non-standard module — production records by shift, weighing or a specific approval chain — that the ready-made product does not provide.
  • The data must stay in the EU or on the company's server, and the company wants to choose where the system runs: The Odoo Standard plan runs on Odoo Online; the Odoo Custom plan on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or the company's own server (on-premise); Odoo.sh hosting is not included in the plan price (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026).
  • Accounting stays in Horizon or Tildes Jumis, and the operations system has to sync with the Latvian accounting software.

Odoo and a custom system: a comparison

The Odoo column holds only facts from the official Odoo site and documentation with the date checked; the custom system column holds what social.tech states on its service pages.

Odoo vs a custom ERP/CRM system (social.tech)
Property Odoo Custom system (social.tech)
Model Odoo comes in two editions: Odoo Community (open source) and Odoo Enterprise (licensed); Enterprise is built on top of Community (vendor's website, checked 09.11.2026). The system is built for one company; no per-user licence
Price Odoo plans: One App Free — 0 EUR (one app, unlimited users); Standard — 24.90 EUR and Custom — 44.90 EUR per user per month billed yearly; for the first 12 months the vendor shows a discount for the initial users (Standard 19.90 EUR, Custom 35.90 EUR) (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026). CRM: an MVP CRM starts from ~12,000 EUR, a full system with integrations and reports from ~25,000 EUR; ERP: an ERP MVP with 2–3 modules starts from ~25,000 EUR, a full ERP with production, warehouse and accounting integration from ~50,000 EUR
Data location The Odoo Standard plan runs on Odoo Online; the Odoo Custom plan on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or the company's own server (on-premise); Odoo.sh hosting is not included in the plan price (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026). Hosting in Latvia, the EU or on your own server
Customisation Odoo implementation services (analysis, data import, customisation, training) and the maintenance of custom code are not included in the subscription; companies under 50 employees usually work with Odoo directly (Success Packs), larger ones with an Odoo partner (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026). The data model, statuses, screens and reports follow the company's process
API and integrations Access to Odoo data through the External API (XML-RPC) is available only on the Odoo Custom plan, not on One App Free or Standard (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026). Integrations are part of development: the system's API or web services, a regular file exchange (XML, CSV) or an intermediate database
Integration with Horizon/Jumis No information on an integration with Horizon or Tildes Jumis was found on the official Odoo site ERP: integration with Horizon, Zalktis, Tildes Jumis and EDS for delivery notes, invoices, VAT returns and payroll data
Code ownership Odoo comes in two editions: Odoo Community (open source) and Odoo Enterprise (licensed); Enterprise is built on top of Community (vendor's website, checked 09.11.2026). After full payment, the source code and the intellectual property rights to the developed solution pass to the client. The data can be exported at any time.
Time to implement Depends on the Odoo plan, the apps and the partner CRM: an MVP takes 6–10 weeks, a full system with integrations and custom reports 3–5 months; ERP: the first module (MVP) takes 2–3 months, a full ERP with all modules 6–12 months

How does switching from Odoo to a custom system work?

Switching from Odoo to a custom system happens step by step so that the company's work does not stop. On social.tech service pages, implementation covers data transfer, integrations, team training and a gradual launch.

  1. Export data from Odoo

    Odoo data can be exported from a list view to a .csv or .xls file; for large volumes the Odoo documentation advises exporting in smaller batches (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026). For larger volumes and regular sync, the Odoo External API can be used: Access to Odoo data through the External API (XML-RPC) is available only on the Odoo Custom plan, not on One App Free or Standard (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026).

  2. Map and transfer the data

    Odoo fields are mapped to the custom system's data model: clients, products, orders, stock, history. social.tech tests the migration before the final switch.

  3. Run in parallel

    The custom system starts with one process or module while the rest of the work still runs in Odoo. For an ERP the first module takes 2–3 months, the others follow step by step.

  4. Training and switching off Odoo

    The team is trained in the new system, and the Odoo apps are switched off one by one once the process runs in the custom system.

Can you keep Odoo and extend it?

Yes, you can keep Odoo and extend it with a separate custom module or integration when most Odoo apps fit and the problem is one process. This is often a smaller job than replacing the whole system.

Extending Odoo needs access to Odoo data. Access to Odoo data through the External API (XML-RPC) is available only on the Odoo Custom plan, not on One App Free or Standard (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026). On the Odoo Standard plan, an integration with an outside system usually means moving to the Custom plan or using file exchange: Odoo data can be exported from a list view to a .csv or .xls file; for large volumes the Odoo documentation advises exporting in smaller batches (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026).

A typical example is a warehouse or production process the standard Odoo apps do not describe: a separate custom app works with scanners in the warehouse while orders and invoices stay in Odoo. social.tech picks the integration method by what the system and its licence allow: the system's API or web services, a regular file exchange (XML, CSV) or an intermediate database.

Examples of custom systems

These social.tech projects are custom ERP and production systems — the kind companies choose instead of, or next to, a ready-made ERP.

Related pages

Frequently asked questions

The Odoo price depends on the plan and the number of users: Odoo plans: One App Free — 0 EUR (one app, unlimited users); Standard — 24.90 EUR and Custom — 44.90 EUR per user per month billed yearly; for the first 12 months the vendor shows a discount for the initial users (Standard 19.90 EUR, Custom 35.90 EUR) (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026). Implementation and customisation are not included in the subscription: Odoo implementation services (analysis, data import, customisation, training) and the maintenance of custom code are not included in the subscription; companies under 50 employees usually work with Odoo directly (Success Packs), larger ones with an Odoo partner (vendor's pricing page, checked 09.11.2026).

No ready-made integration with Visma Horizon was found on the official Odoo site, so the integration would have to be built. Visma Horizon has an open REST API platform for integrations, with public documentation in Latvian (vendor's website, checked 09.11.2026). Access to Odoo data through the External API (XML-RPC) is available only on the Odoo Custom plan, not on One App Free or Standard (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026). The connection is chosen by what both systems and their licences allow.

Data is moved out of Odoo by export or API. Odoo data can be exported from a list view to a .csv or .xls file; for large volumes the Odoo documentation advises exporting in smaller batches (vendor documentation, checked 09.11.2026). In the custom system the Odoo fields are mapped to the new data model, and social.tech tests the migration before the final switch.

A small company with a typical process is usually fine with a ready-made product such as Odoo, because it can be used without development. A custom system makes sense when the process does not fit the Odoo apps or when Odoo customisation and licences cost more over time than your own system. A custom CRM MVP starts from ~12,000 EUR.

Odoo comes in two editions: Odoo Community (open source) and Odoo Enterprise (licensed); Enterprise is built on top of Community (vendor's website, checked 09.11.2026). The vendor shows the split of features between Odoo Community and Odoo Enterprise on its editions comparison page, and the Odoo plan prices apply to the Enterprise edition.

After full payment, the source code and the intellectual property rights to the developed solution pass to the client. The data can be exported at any time. Hosting can be in Latvia, the EU or on your own server.

For a custom ERP, the first module (MVP) takes 2–3 months, a full ERP with all modules 6–12 months. Development is iterative, so the first module can be used while the others are still being built and part of the work runs in Odoo.

Sources

Facts about other products come only from the vendors' official pages; each fact has a link and the date it was checked.

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Odoo is a trademark of its owner. Visma Horizon is a trademark of Visma. social.tech is not affiliated with the makers of these products; the product names are used only to name them.