The core of the difference
Exact Online is at its core an accounting package: excellent at invoicing, bank connections, VAT returns and Dutch compliance. Odoo is a full ERP platform in which accounting is one of 80+ integrated apps — alongside CRM, inventory, manufacturing, eCommerce and project management. So the question isn't which package is better, but how broad your processes are. If your business runs on administration alone, Exact does its job fine. If you want sales, logistics and administration in one system, you'll run into limits with Exact that Odoo doesn't have.
Exact Online and Odoo side by side
| Feature | Odoo | Exact Online |
|---|---|---|
| System type | Full ERP (80+ apps) | Accounting + limited trading |
| Accounting & VAT (NL) | ✅ Complete, incl. Peppol and bank integration | ✅ Very strong, the core of the package |
| CRM & sales pipeline | ✅ Extensive, with marketing automation | ⚠️ Basic CRM |
| Inventory & warehouse | ✅ WMS, barcodes, multi-warehouse | ⚠️ Basisvoorraad in handelspakket |
| Manufacturing (MRP) | ✅ Full MRP & PLM | ❌ Not available |
| eCommerce & webshop | ✅ Integrated webshop & website | ❌ Only via external integrations |
| Projects & timesheets | ✅ Projects, planning, time-based invoicing | ⚠️ Limited, via add-on modules |
| Customisation & API | ✅ Open source, fully open API | ⚠️ Limited API, no customisation in the core |
| Pricing model | From €24.90 per user per month, all apps | Per package; costs rise with each extra module |
| Updates | ⚠️ Annual version upgrade needs attention | ✅ Automatic (SaaS) |
| Scalability as you grow | ✅ Scales with you from 2 to 200+ users | ⚠️ Limited once processes get broader |
Our honest advice
Stay with Exact if...
You purely need an accounting package and your accountant is happy working with it. For an accountancy firm or a small business without inventory, webshop or manufacturing, switching to an ERP is often unnecessary. Let's be honest: in that case Exact is a perfectly good choice.
Choose Odoo if...
You use separate tools alongside Exact for CRM, inventory, webshop, timesheets or planning — and you notice that retyping and synchronising costs time and causes errors. At that point, one integrated platform is cheaper and more reliable than a pile of integrations around an accounting package.
Migrating from Exact to Odoo
A migration from Exact Online to Odoo is a proven process. We bring across contacts, open items, the general ledger and (if desired) historical entries, set up the Dutch localisation — VAT return, ICP declaration, Peppol, bank connection via PSD2 — and, if you wish, run both systems in parallel for a period to be safe. So you switch without your administration standing still for even a single day.
Wondering whether the switch pays off for you?
Request a no-obligation Business Scan — we give you an honest calculation of what staying costs and what switching costs.
Free Business Scan →Full ERP comparisonHow the migration works
Moving from Exact (Online or Globe) to Odoo takes us 6 to 12 weeks on average, depending on the number of administrations and integrations. The accounting switches over at a period end; contacts, products, open items and history are migrated with AI-assisted mapping and a double check.