Services / Odoo / Editions and hosting
Editions and hosting

Two editions, three places to run it, and a choice that is hard to undo.

Odoo comes in two editions, Community and Enterprise, and can be hosted three ways: Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or on your own servers. The same software runs in each, but they differ in who looks after it, what you may add to it and how it is upgraded. This page sets out the differences from Odoo's own documentation, so the choice can be made before it is expensive to change.

Find your fit →Compare the three

Odoo's current version is Odoo 20, released in September 2026. Prices change, so none are quoted here: see Odoo's pricing page.

Illustration of a database manager, simplified. Sample data.
The short version

Four decisions, in the order they matter.

Most of what separates the options comes down to four questions. Answer them honestly before you commit.

01Who runs the servers?
On Odoo Online, Odoo hosts and manages your database. On Odoo.sh, Odoo provides the cloud platform and you manage the code that runs on it. On-premise, you host everything yourself.
02Will you add custom code?
Odoo Online is incompatible with custom modules and Apps Store modules. If you will write or buy modules, you need Odoo.sh or on-premise, and the Custom plan.
03Which edition?
Community is free and open-source. Enterprise is the shared-source edition with more functionality, including functional support, upgrades and hosting.
04How will you stay current?
Each major version gets three years of standard support. Upgrades are routine on Odoo Online and a project of their own where custom modules exist.
Find your fit

Pick the situation that sounds like yours.

Each answer says what the option is, what you get and what to check first. All of it comes from Odoo's own documentation.

Compare

Odoo Online, Odoo.sh and on-premise, side by side.

What Odoo's documentation says about each.

Where it runsWhat Odoo says
Odoo OnlinePrivate databases hosted and managed by Odoo, reached from a browser. Custom modules and Apps Store modules are not compatible. Backups run daily under Odoo's cloud hosting SLA and can be downloaded; duplicates for testing expire after 15 days, with a maximum of five. A log shows the actions taken by Odoo staff and by the database administrator. Upgrades follow Odoo's rolling release process, with a notice a few weeks before a mandatory upgrade.
Odoo.shOdoo's official cloud platform for hosting and managing Odoo, aimed first at developers and integrated with GitHub. Branches are production, staging or development. Custom modules are supported. Odoo's pricing page says Odoo.sh hosting is not included in the Custom plan's price. Extended support is available on Odoo.sh for a limited number of versions.
On-premiseYou host it. Odoo provides packaged installers, a source install and a Docker base image, for Community and Enterprise. Extended support, for an extra fee, is available for any version. Odoo 20's Debian package supports Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Moving laterOdoo's hosting documentation covers moving a database between hosts. Moving to Odoo Online needs all non-standard apps uninstalled first and a supported version, and is arranged through a support ticket. Odoo's upgrade does not cover changing hosting type or switching editions.
MobileOdoo recommends its progressive web app, which supports push notifications and single sign-on. The store apps support several accounts but not single sign-on.
The editions

Community and Enterprise.

From Odoo's database management documentation and pricing page.

EditionWhat Odoo says
Odoo CommunityThe free and open-source edition, licensed under the GNU LGPLv3, and the core upon which Enterprise is built. You install and run it yourself.
Odoo EnterpriseThe shared-source edition, with more functionality including functional support, upgrades and hosting. Pricing starts from one app free.
Is it the same software?Odoo's pricing page says Odoo Online and Odoo Enterprise (on-premise or Odoo.sh) are the same software, and only the hosting and infrastructure differ.
SwitchingYou can switch from Community to Enterprise at any time, except from a source install. The documented steps are: back up the Community database, stop the server, install the Enterprise web module, restart and enter your subscription code.
Plans and users

How the plans map to hosting, and who counts as a user.

From Odoo's pricing page, read in November 2026. We quote no prices.

Plan or termWhat Odoo says
One App FreeOne app, unlimited users, on Odoo Online. If you choose an app that depends on others, you get the required ones free too. The free plan allows multiple companies, and Studio can be the single app.
StandardAll apps, hosted on Odoo Online, which Odoo describes as its cloud infrastructure for databases without custom modules.
CustomAll apps, on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or on-premise, with Odoo Studio, agentic AI, multi-company and the external API. Odoo.sh hosting costs extra.
Moving between plansInstalling an app on the free plan moves you to Standard. Installing Studio or adding companies moves you to Custom.
Who is a paying userSomeone with backend access to create, view or edit documents, or an employee record with no linked user. Customers and suppliers on the portal, and website visitors placing orders, are not paying users. A lower-priced Light User type exists for self-service roles and is quoted by an Odoo advisor.
What the plans includeUnlimited support by email, upgrades, hosting on Odoo Online and free access to eLearning.
What they do not includeOdoo.sh hosting for custom developments, implementation services, in-app purchase credits (such as SMS, contact autocomplete, lead generation and AI scanning of bills), and maintenance of custom code.
ImplementationOdoo says small companies can use its Success Packs, mid-size and larger companies (over 50 employees) usually work with a partner who offers local project management, and companies over 250 employees can contact Odoo directly.

Odoo pricing

Versions and support

How long each version is looked after.

Odoo supports every major version in two phases. Standard support covers the first three years after release, on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh and on-premise. Extended support follows, for an extra fee, on Odoo.sh for a limited number of versions and on-premise for any version.

VersionReleased, and end of standard support
Odoo 20.0Released September 2026. End of standard support: September 2029 (planned).
Odoo 19.0Released September 2025. End of standard support: September 2028 (planned).
Odoo 18.0Released October 2024. End of standard support: September 2027 (planned).
Odoo 17.0Released November 2023. End of standard support: September 2026, which has now passed.
Online-only versionsSaaS versions are released every two to three months, are available only on Odoo Online and are not eligible for extended support.
Upgrade windowYou can upgrade from any version to any major version still under standard support, or whose standard support ended less than six months ago.

Odoo says security updates are provided only during standard support. Its page also says it does not amend the Enterprise Subscription Agreement, which governs in any conflict.

Standard and extended support (documentation)

Before you commit

How to choose without regret.

Hosting and edition are the choices most expensive to change later. A short list worth settling before the first line of configuration.

  1. 01List what you will customiseSeparate what Studio can do without code from what needs a custom module. The second list decides your hosting.
  2. 02Decide who runs itChoose between Odoo running it, Odoo providing a platform you manage, and your own servers.
  3. 03Pick the editionFree Community with your own support, or Enterprise with functional support, upgrades and hosting.
  4. 04Plan upgradesDecide how you will test upgrades on a copy before they reach production, and who owns any custom modules.
  5. 05Budget the extrasCredits for services like SMS and AI, Odoo.sh hosting, implementation and custom-code maintenance sit outside the plans.

Questions to ask before you sign

  • Will we ever need a custom module or an Apps Store app? If yes, Odoo Online is out.
  • Who owns upgrades, and what happens to our customisations when a new major version arrives?
  • How many users count as paying, and which of them could be Light Users?
  • Which countries do we operate in, and does each have a fiscal localisation package?
  • How do we get our data out if we ever leave? Odoo says you can download a backup of an Odoo Online database at any time.

© 2026 Mawkish Technologies. This guide, its diagrams and illustrations are protected by copyright. You’re welcome to learn from it and to quote it with credit and a link. Reproducing it, by hand or through AI, and publishing it as your own is not allowed. Read our copyright notice

Questions

Straight answers.

What is the difference between Community and Enterprise?

Odoo describes Community as the free, open-source edition under the GNU LGPLv3, and the core on which Enterprise is built. Enterprise is the shared-source edition with more functionality, including functional support, upgrades and hosting.

Which hosting lets me use custom modules?

Odoo.sh or on-premise. Odoo's documentation says Odoo Online is incompatible with custom modules and with modules from the Apps Store.

Can I change hosting later?

Yes, but it is a project. Odoo's documentation covers moving between Odoo Online, Odoo.sh and on-premise, and its upgrade does not cover changing hosting type or switching editions. Moving to Odoo Online needs non-standard apps removed first.

Is my data mine on Odoo Online?

Odoo's pricing page says you can download a backup of your Odoo Online database at any time and that you own your data.

How long is a version supported?

Three years of standard support from release, then extended support for an extra fee on Odoo.sh (for a limited number of versions) and on-premise. Odoo 20, released in September 2026, is planned to reach the end of standard support in September 2029.

Is there a mobile app?

Odoo recommends its progressive web app, installed from your browser, which supports push notifications and single sign-on. Store apps also exist, with multi-account support but no single sign-on.

Checked against Odoo's own documentation and pricing page in November 2026.

Across Odoo

Go to one of the eight families.

Each of the eight families has its own page, and you can visit them in any order. Choose one to go there.

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Also across Odoo

How the apps fit together

Talk to us

Talk it through with us.

Tell us what you want Odoo to do for you, and we will help you work out where to start.

  • Your goals and the systems involved
  • Which Odoo apps fit, and which can wait
  • A sensible first step

Odoo, its app names and its app icons belong to Odoo S.A. The icons are shown as Odoo publishes them on its brand-assets page. Other names are the property of their owners. Screens shown are our own illustrations with sample data, not Odoo screenshots. Product descriptions follow Odoo's own published material and may change; check odoo.com for current details.

We call our approach to Odoo Editions and Hosting the Falholm Lens: advice that stays on your side of the table.

© 2026 Mawkish Technologies. This guide, its diagrams and illustrations are protected by copyright. You’re welcome to learn from it and to quote it with credit and a link. Reproducing it, by hand or through AI, and publishing it as your own is not allowed. Read our copyright notice