What is the difference between Odoo Online and Odoo.sh?

Odoo Online is Odoo's SaaS: Odoo hosts and upgrades your database, but you cannot install custom modules. Odoo.sh is Odoo's cloud platform for Enterprise with development, staging and production branches, so you can run custom and third-party modules; its hosting is billed on top of the Custom plan.

Can I install custom modules on Odoo Online?

No. Odoo describes Odoo Online as hosting for databases without custom modules. You can still customise with configuration and, on the Custom plan, Odoo Studio. For custom code you need Odoo.sh or on-premise hosting.

Do I have to upgrade Odoo Online?

Yes. According to Odoo's documentation, databases on a major version must be upgraded every two years, and databases on an intermediate SaaS version a few weeks after the next version is released. On-premise databases can stay on a version indefinitely, though Odoo does not recommend it.

Does the TECFY store connector work on all three?

Yes. The TECFY Odoo Connector for Salla and for Zid works with Odoo Online, Odoo.sh, on-premise Enterprise and Community. On Odoo Online it builds its fields and scheduled actions through Odoo's standard interface and syncs stock about every twenty minutes; on Odoo.sh or self-hosted it uses TECFY's addon and pushes stock changes instantly.

Can I move from Odoo Online to Odoo.sh or on-premise later?

Yes. You can download a backup of an Odoo Online database at any time. Odoo recommends switching to on-premise right after the release of the newest stable version, because on-premise must run a stable major version while Odoo Online may be on an intermediate SaaS version.

Odoo Online vs Odoo.sh vs On-Premise

Odoo is the same software wherever it runs, but where it runs decides three things you will live with for years: whether you can install custom modules, who upgrades the system and when, and what hosting costs on top of the licence. This guide compares Odoo Online, Odoo.sh and on-premise hosting, using Odoo's own pricing page and documentation as of September 2026, and covers how the choice affects store connectors such as TECFY's for Salla and Zid.

Short answer: choose Odoo Online if standard Odoo plus configuration covers your needs — Odoo hosts and upgrades it, and there are no custom modules. Choose Odoo.sh if you need custom or third-party modules but want Odoo to run the servers. Choose on-premise if you must control the infrastructure, or want Odoo Community, which is open source under LGPLv3 and only runs on your own or a partner's server.

The three options at a glance

	Odoo Online	Odoo.sh	On-premise
Who runs the servers	Odoo	Odoo (platform), you manage the project	You or your partner
Editions	Enterprise	Enterprise	Enterprise or Community
Odoo plan	Standard or Custom (or One App Free)	Custom	Custom for Enterprise; no licence for Community
Custom and third-party modules	No	Yes	Yes
Odoo Studio	Custom plan	Yes	Enterprise
Hosting cost	Included; storage unmetered up to 100 GB	Billed per worker, storage and staging environment	Your own servers
Versions	Major and intermediate SaaS versions (e.g. 19.1–19.4)	Major versions only (e.g. 19.0)	Major versions only
Upgrades	Mandatory on a schedule; Odoo runs them	Integrated with Odoo's upgrade platform	You decide and run them
Development environments	No	Development, staging and production branches	Whatever you build

Sources: Odoo pricing, Odoo.sh pricing, supported versions, upgrade documentation.

Odoo Online: SaaS with no custom code

Odoo Online runs on odoo.com. Odoo describes it as cloud hosting "for databases without custom modules", so the Apps menu will not let you install third-party modules. You customise through settings, and on the Custom plan through Odoo Studio.

Odoo Online also gets the intermediate SaaS versions that Odoo releases every two to three months — 19.1 in January 2026 through 19.4 in July 2026 — which never reach Odoo.sh or on-premise. The cost of staying current is that upgrades are mandatory: a major version must be upgraded every two years, and an intermediate version a few weeks after the next one is released. Odoo test-upgrades your database first and lets you trigger the real upgrade before the deadline.

Best for: companies happy with standard Odoo, with no in-house developers, who want the newest features.

Odoo.sh: Enterprise with your own code

Odoo.sh is Odoo's platform for running Enterprise with custom modules. You get Git-based branches — development, staging and production — and the upgrade platform is built in: your latest production backup is upgraded and restored on a staging branch where your custom modules are tested before production. Odoo.sh requires the Custom plan, and its hosting is charged on top: Odoo.sh states that its hosting price excludes the Enterprise licence.

Best for: companies that need custom or third-party modules but don't want to run servers.

On-premise: full control, full responsibility

On-premise means Odoo runs on a server you or your partner manage — in your data centre or with a cloud provider. It is the only option for Odoo Community. With Enterprise on-premise, Odoo's upgrade service still applies to standard apps; with Community, there is no Odoo upgrade service, so upgrades are your or your partner's work. Per Odoo's upgrade documentation you can stay on a version indefinitely on-premise, though Odoo does not recommend it: each major version gets three years of standard support.

Best for: companies with data-residency or integration requirements, those who want Community, or those with an IT team and a partner to run the stack.

Get help choosing and setting up Odoo hosting

Two details that catch people out

The external API. Odoo's pricing page lists External API as a Custom plan feature, and defines it as external software that calls Odoo's JSON-RPC or XML-RPC API to read or update data. Integrations that run outside Odoo and call into it fall under that definition, so check your plan with Odoo before relying on one.

Version numbers. Features tied to an intermediate SaaS version only exist on Odoo Online until a later major version is released. For example, the TECFY connectors' automatic ZATCA submission needs Odoo 19.3 or later (ZATCA with the Salla connector); 19.3 is an Odoo Online version, while Odoo.sh and on-premise currently run 19.0.

How the choice affects Salla and Zid connectors

The TECFY Odoo Connector for Salla and for Zid work with all three hosting types, and with Community. What changes is how stock reaches your store:

	Odoo Online	Odoo.sh or self-hosted
What gets installed in Odoo	Nothing — the connector creates a model, views and two scheduled actions through Odoo's standard interface	TECFY's addon from the Odoo Apps store
Stock sync to the store	About every 20 minutes, or on demand with Sync Now from Odoo	The moment stock moves
Extra features	—	Features that need the addon, such as separate cash-on-delivery statuses, delivery orders tied to each sale, pushing order-line changes back to the store and fetching shipment labels

You set the hosting type in the connector's configuration and can change it if you migrate (choosing the hosting type).

Which should you choose?

If you…	Choose
Need standard Odoo and want zero server work	Odoo Online
Want Odoo's newest features as soon as they ship	Odoo Online
Need a custom module or a third-party app from the Odoo Apps store	Odoo.sh
Must keep data on your own infrastructure	On-premise
Want to avoid licence fees and have a partner for hosting and upgrades	On-premise with Community

TECFY's Odoo implementation package (3,999 SAR) includes installation on your own server or one year of free cloud hosting, and the Odoo support team works across Enterprise, Community, Odoo.sh and on-premise. When the time comes to move versions, read the Odoo upgrade guide; for budgets, see Odoo implementation prices in Saudi Arabia.