Odoo vs Xero
Odoo
Small and mid-sized businesses, from one user to large enterprises
2002; Belgium (Grand-Rosière and Louvain-la-Neuve)
Xero
Small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers
2006; Wellington, New Zealand
Odoo and Xero both sell cloud accounting to small and mid-sized businesses.
Xero, founded in Wellington in 2006 and listed on the ASX, is an accounting, payroll and payments platform with 5 million customers; Odoo, founded in Belgium in 2002, sells accounting as one app in a suite that also covers CRM, e-commerce, inventory, HR, point of sale and projects.
Odoo vs Xero: side by side
“Not published” means the vendor does not state it.
| Odoo | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Suite of open source business apps, including accounting, invoicing, CRM, e-commerce, inventory, HR, point of sale and projects, in a free Community edition and a paid Enterprise edition | Cloud accounting, payroll and payments platform for small businesses, with tools for accountants and bookkeepers |
| Best for | Small and mid-sized businesses, from one user to large enterprises | Small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers |
| Founded and HQ | 2002; Belgium (Grand-Rosière and Louvain-la-Neuve) | 2006; Wellington, New Zealand |
| Ownership and funding | Private; €500m secondary transaction (Nov 2024) led by CapitalG and Sequoia Capital at a €5bn valuation; Summit Partners is the largest institutional shareholder; CEO Fabien Pinckaers | Listed on the ASX; CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy |
| Customers or users | Over 28 million users worldwide, counting on-premise installations; billing revenue of about €900m expected in 2026 | 5 million customers in more than 180 countries |
| Pricing | One app free with unlimited users; Standard €24.90 and Custom €44.90 per user a month billed yearly (€31.10 and €56.90 monthly), all apps included; first-year discount for initial users | UK from £18 a month (Ignite) to £70 (Ultimate), excluding VAT; US from US$27 (Early) to US$97 (Established) |
| Deployment and markets | Cloud (Odoo Online, Odoo.sh) or on-premise; customers in more than 100 countries; about 8,000 staff | Cloud; customers in 180+ countries; offices in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, Singapore and South Africa |
Main differences
Xero focuses on accounting, payroll and payments; Odoo adds CRM, inventory, e-commerce, HR and point of sale in the same suite.
Xero plans run from £18 to £70 a month in the UK and US$27 to US$97 in the US; Odoo is free for one app and costs €24.90 or €44.90 per user a month, billed yearly, for all apps.
Xero is cloud software; Odoo runs in the cloud or on-premise, with a free open source Community edition.
Xero includes tools for accountants and bookkeepers; Odoo sells to businesses from one user to large enterprises.
Which to choose
Choose Odoo if
- You want accounting alongside inventory, CRM, e-commerce or point of sale in one suite, or need an on-premise option
Choose Xero if
- You mainly need accounting, payroll and payments, and work with an accountant or bookkeeper on the same platform
Compare further
Common questions
What is the difference between Odoo and Xero?+
Odoo is a suite of open source business apps, including accounting, invoicing, CRM, e-commerce, inventory, HR, point of sale and projects, with a free Community edition and a paid Enterprise edition. Xero is a cloud accounting, payroll and payments platform for small businesses, with tools for accountants and bookkeepers.
Is Odoo or Xero cheaper?+
Odoo is free for one app with unlimited users; with all apps it costs €24.90 (Standard) or €44.90 (Custom) per user a month billed yearly. Xero costs from £18 (Ignite) to £70 (Ultimate) a month in the UK, excluding VAT, and from US$27 (Early) to US$97 (Established) in the US.
How many businesses use Odoo and Xero?+
Xero has 5 million customers in more than 180 countries. Odoo counts over 28 million users worldwide, including on-premise installations, and customers in more than 100 countries.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
