ERPNext vs Odoo for a Swiss SME

Two open-source ERPs, compared on what a Swiss SME needs: licence, cost, the Swiss localisation and AI agents.

In short

As of 28 October 2026

Odoo is a kit of many apps with a free Community edition and a paid Enterprise edition. ERPNext is under a free licence throughout, and its Swiss features come from an app maintained by a Swiss partner.

Both are ERP systems with sales, purchasing, inventory and accounting. Both need an implementation. If all you want is to keep the books of a small GmbH, a plain accounting product will often get you there faster.

Licence and cost

Prices: Odoo as of October 2026, Frappe Cloud as of September 2026 (frappe.io)

We read Odoo's prices in euros. According to Odoo, the Enterprise prices on its price page last only twelve months and apply only to the users ordered at the start; below is what we could confirm about the price after that.

Odoo Community: LGPLv3, free, self-hosted.
Odoo Enterprise: We could not read on odoo.com the list price that applies after the first year. Standard runs on Odoo Online only; Custom also runs on Odoo.sh or your own server. There is also One App Free: a single app for free, with unlimited users, on Odoo Online.
ERPNext: GPLv3, free, self-hosted.
ERPNext on Frappe Cloud: Hosted from USD 5 a month on shared servers and from USD 40 a month on dedicated servers, with a 14-day trial. Frappe does not state the VAT basis for either.

The Swiss localisation

As of 28 October 2026, from the source repositories

This is the biggest difference, and it is organisational: with Odoo, Switzerland belongs to the vendor; with ERPNext, to a partner.

Odoo, l10n_ch: Part of the Community code: the Swiss SME chart of accounts (2015), Swiss taxes, a QR-bill when the invoice is printed, QR-IBAN. The VAT return is defined in the Community code, but we did not find the view that displays it there. camt import, Swiss ISO 20022 payments, fixed assets and Swissdec-certified payroll are in Enterprise, not in Community 20.0.
ERPNext, erpnextswiss: An app by libracore AG under AGPL-3.0, not by Frappe itself. It adds the QR-bill and ESR, camt.053 and camt.054 import, pain.001 and pain.008 payment files, an EBICS connection, and the VAT return as an eCH-0217 file, for the effective and the Saldo method. It is actively maintained; the last commit on the main branch is from 27 October 2026.

ERPNext with erpnextswiss, Odoo Community, Odoo Enterprise

TILL and 3 other products, as of 28 October 2026. Every cell links its source.
What is compared	TILL	ERPNextwith erpnextswiss	OdooCommunity	OdooEnterprise
The basics
Licence	MIT Source	GPL-3.0; erpnextswiss AGPL-3.0 Source	LGPL-3.0 Source	Proprietary (Odoo Enterprise licence) Source
Where it runs	Your Mac or Linux computer, or a server you run Note There is no Windows app and no mobile app; TILL is not tested on Windows. On the capabilities page	A server you run, or Frappe Cloud Source	A server you run Source	Odoo Online on Standard; Odoo.sh or your own server on Custom Note Odoo's price page offers the Standard plan on Odoo Online only, and the Custom plan on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or on-premise. Source
Where the data is stored, as the vendor states it	One SQLite file on your computer On the capabilities page	Wherever you host it Note On Frappe Cloud, Frappe hosts it; we did not confirm the regions offered. Source	Wherever you host it Source	Not confirmed Note We could not confirm where Odoo Online stores the data of Swiss customers.
Price
Free tier and its limit	YesFree, no limit Note MIT licence: no limit on users, companies or bookings, and no subscription. Source	YesFree, self-hosted Source	YesFree, self-hosted Source	PartlyOne App Free: one app, on Odoo Online read 23 September 2026 Source
Cheapest plan with the MWST returnList price, as the vendor states the VAT basis and billing period	CHF 0, no plan Note There is no subscription. TILL prepares the return from the postings and writes the eCH-0217 file; you upload it in the ESTV ePortal yourself. On the capabilities page	CHF 0, self-hosted Note The erpnextswiss app prepares the VAT declaration. Frappe Cloud hosting starts at USD 5 a month (VAT basis not stated). Source	Not confirmed Note The Community code defines the Swiss VAT return, but we did not find the view that displays it there. Source	Not confirmed Note We read Odoo's prices in euros, and its price page shows first-year prices for the users ordered at the start. We could not read on odoo.com the list price that applies after the first year.
Swiss obligations
Issues QR-bills	YesWith structured addresses On the capabilities page	YesIn erpnextswiss Source	Yes Source	Yes Source
MWST return as an eCH-0217 fileThe format the ESTV ePortal accepts for upload	YesEffective and Saldo Note Version 2.0.0. The beta computes on agreed consideration (vereinbarte Entgelte) only, and you upload and file the return in the ESTV ePortal yourself. On the capabilities page	YesEffective and Saldo Note In the erpnextswiss app (AGPL-3.0): XML templates in the eCH-0217 version 2 namespace. Source	Not confirmed	Not confirmed Note Odoo's Swiss localisation documentation does not mention an eCH-0217 export. Source
Swissdec-certified payroll	NoA hand-off Note TILL exports your employee data for your payroll provider and books the wage journal you bring back. Pay slips, AHV and Swissdec filings stay with the provider. On the capabilities page	Not confirmed Note erpnextswiss writes the salary certificate (Lohnausweis); we found no Swissdec certification. Source	NoNot in Community 20.0 Note The Odoo Community 20.0 source has no payroll module. Source	YesELM 5.3 Note Listed by Swissdec as certified basic for ELM 5.3, 5.1 and 5.0. Source
Bank and payments
Imports camt.053/054 statements	Partlycamt.053 Note camt.054 notifications are not read; import the day-end camt.053. On the capabilities page	Yescamt.053 and camt.054, in erpnextswiss Source	NoNot in Community 20.0 Note The Odoo Community 20.0 source has no camt import module. Source	Yescamt.053 Source
Writes pain.001 payment files	Yes On the capabilities page	YesIn erpnextswiss Source	NoNot in Community 20.0 Note The Odoo Community 20.0 source has no ISO 20022 payments module. Source	YesSwiss ISO 20022 Source
Direct bank connection	NoNot in the beta Note The EBICS client is built, but the module that connects it to your bank ships later. Until then you import camt.053 files from your eBanking. On the capabilities page	YesEBICS in erpnextswiss Source	NoNot in Community 20.0 Note The Odoo Community 20.0 source has no bank synchronisation module. Source	Not confirmed Note Odoo documents bank synchronisation providers; we could not confirm Swiss bank coverage. Source
Sends eBills	NoNot in the beta Note TILL packages an invoice as an eBill, but sending it is not in the beta. On the capabilities page	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Not confirmed
Openness and agents
Public API	YesMCP, and a local REST twin of every verb On the capabilities page	YesREST, from the Frappe framework Source	YesExternal API Source	Not confirmed Note We could not confirm on odoo.com which Enterprise plan includes the external API.
Official MCP server for AI agentsMade by the vendor itself, not a community project	YesRead and write Note By default, your agent waits for your OK before it books anything, moves your money, grants access or deletes your data for good. On the capabilities page	YesRead and write Note Built into the Frappe framework since v16.53.0 (22.10.2026), on by default, with the signed-in user's permissions. Source	NoNot in Community 20.0 Note The Odoo Community 20.0 source has no AI or MCP module. Source	YesRead, and write if enabled Note In the AI app of Odoo 20 (24.09.2026). Read tools are exposed by default; an administrator can expose write tools. Source
Full data export without a subscription	YesThere is no subscription Note A whole company exports in an open, documented format, and the books are a file you hold. On the capabilities page	YesYour own database Source	YesYour own database Source	Not confirmed
Beyond the books
Inventory, projects and time, CRM, fixed assets, multi-currency	YesAll five Note Inventory with lots, projects and time, a sales pipeline, fixed assets with depreciation, and multi-currency. On the capabilities page	YesAll five Source	PartlyInventory, projects and time, CRM, multi-currency Note Fixed assets are not in Community 20.0. Source	YesAll five Source

Key:YesPartlyNoNone found(we looked in what the vendor publishes, on the date read, and found none)Not confirmed(we could not confirm it from a vendor source)

AI agents and MCP

As of 28 October 2026

Odoo 20 (24.09.2026) ships an MCP server in its AI app, through which an external AI agent reaches the Odoo database. Read tools are exposed by default, and an administrator can expose write tools. The Odoo Community 20.0 source has no AI or MCP module; the server belongs to Enterprise.

ERPNext runs on the Frappe framework, which has had a built-in MCP server since version 16.53.0 (22.10.2026). It is on by default and works with the permissions of the signed-in user. There are also third-party apps, such as Frappe Assistant Core.

Which one fits?

As of 28 October 2026

Odoo fits if you want a broad suite from one vendor that maintains the Swiss localisation itself. Before you start, find out whether you need Enterprise for the VAT return.

ERPNext fits if a free licence throughout matters to you and you are happy to rely on a Swiss partner, through erpnextswiss, to carry the localisation.

Either way, introducing an ERP is a project. Budget time for setup, data migration and training, even when the licence costs nothing.

Where TILL stands

TILL is an open-source ERP too, built differently. The licence is MIT, and the books sit locally in one SQLite file. The Swiss obligations live in the core rather than in an app, and the interface has been an MCP server from the start.

TILL is a public beta. Payroll, sending email and a direct bank connection are still missing, and the interface is in German and English only. If you need an ERP without those gaps today, TILL is not the one to pick yet.

What TILL does not do yet

TILL is a public beta. These are its limits today, in the same words on every page:

No payroll of its own. TILL exports your employee data for your payroll provider and books the wage journal you bring back.
No MWST filing from TILL. It writes the eCH-0217 file, and you upload it in the ESTV ePortal.
No MWST on received consideration (vereinnahmte Entgelte): TILL computes the return on agreed consideration only.
No email sending yet. TILL makes the PDF of an invoice, quote or reminder, and you send it from your own mail program.
German (de-CH) and English only. No French or Italian yet.
Runs on macOS and Linux; Windows is not supported (we do not test on it), and there is no mobile app.
No direct bank connection in the beta. You import camt.053 statements from your eBanking.
On your own computer, backups run when you start them, not on a schedule.
Several people in one book only on a server you host yourself. The local app is for one computer.
No eBill sending, no e-signature and no online customer portal.

TILL is an independent project. It is not derived from any product on this page, and it is not affiliated with any of their vendors.

Try it

TILL is free, with no account and no subscription. Keep your current program running until the figures match.

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About this comparison

Every statement about another product on this page rests on what its vendor publishes (website, price list, documentation or source code), read on the date shown with it. Where we could not confirm a point from such a source, the table says “Not confirmed”. Prices are published list prices, with the VAT basis and billing period the vendor states, and without promotions. Products and prices change, so check with the vendor before you decide.

If something here is wrong or out of date, write to hello@tillbooks.ch with the subject “Comparison correction”. We check every report and correct confirmed errors within 5 working days, with the date of the change.

This page is published by Nomadik GmbH, which builds TILL, so it is not neutral. TILL is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any vendor named here.

bexio, Banana, CashCtrl, AbaNinja, Abacus, Klara, Infinity, Run my Accounts, Odoo, ERPNext, Frappe, erpnextswiss, GnuCash, Manager.io, Gäld, Infoniqa, Swiss21.org, DeepCloud, 21.AbaSalary, libracore, Swissdec, bLink, QuickBooks, Intuit, Lexoffice, sevDesk and DATEV are trademarks or registered trademarks of their owners and are used here only to name their products.