Compare · for Indian businesses

Odoo vs Zoho Books

Zoho Books is online accounting with GST, e-invoicing and e-way bills built in, sold per organisation with a set number of users in each plan. Odoo is a full ERP: GST accounting shares one database with stock, purchase, manufacturing, CRM and HR, hosted in India or on your own server. Pick Zoho Books if you mainly need clean GST books; pick Odoo when stock, production or several teams must run from one system.

Checked against Zoho's own website on 28 October 2026.

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What matters for an Indian business.

The points Indian buyers ask about first, side by side.

Odoo compared with Zoho Books for Indian businesses
Topic	Odoo with Shellkube	Zoho Books
GST returns	GSTR-1 and 3B data comes straight from your books. HSN codes, CGST, SGST and IGST are set per product and per state.	Files GST returns with the GST portal from inside Zoho Books.
E-invoice (IRN)	IRN generated from the invoice through Odoo's connection to the NIC e-invoice portal. Unlimited e-invoices are included in every Shellkube plan.	Zoho is a GST Suvidha Provider (GSP), so invoices go straight to the IRP. E-invoices are part of the Standard plan and up.
E-way bill	Generated in Odoo from the invoice or from the stock delivery. Unlimited e-way bills are included in every plan.	Generated in Zoho Books once you register Zoho as your GSP on the e-way bill portal.
More than one GSTIN	Multiple GSTINs and state-wise place-of-supply rules, so interstate and intrastate tax applies correctly on each invoice.	Multiple GSTINs supported.
Moving off Tally	We move your chart of accounts, ledgers, masters and open balances, and check them against your Tally trial balance before you switch. Tally to Odoo migration	Zoho offers migration assistance, and TallyPrime and Tally ERP are on its list of source software.
Where your data lives	Hosted in India as standard, or on your own server. If you leave, you get the full database, the files and the source of your own modules.	Zoho's cloud. For accounts in India, Zoho lists data centres in Mumbai (primary) and Chennai (secondary).
Cost model	One price per company per year, set by how many people use Odoo daily. Light users, who only approve, view or use self-service, are free. Setup is a fixed-price Go-Live Package. See prices	Monthly or yearly subscription per organisation. Each plan includes a set number of users; more users are a paid add-on.
Stock and production	Stock by warehouse and lot, purchase and manufacturing (BOMs, work orders, job work) in the same database as your books.	Stock tracking from the Standard plan; warehouses, batch and serial tracking from the Elite plan. Manufacturing is not in Zoho Books' plan list; Zoho sells it in Zoho ERP.
CRM, helpdesk, HR	Part of the same Odoo, on the same database.	Separate Zoho products (for example Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk), each with its own subscription.
Support	The team that built your setup supports it after go-live, by ticket and email, with phone support on higher plans.	Email support on every plan; phone and chat on higher plans. India toll-free line, Monday to Friday.

GST returns: Odoo with ShellkubeGSTR-1 and 3B data comes straight from your books. HSN codes, CGST, SGST and IGST are set per product and per state.Zoho BooksFiles GST returns with the GST portal from inside Zoho Books.
E-invoice (IRN): Odoo with ShellkubeIRN generated from the invoice through Odoo's connection to the NIC e-invoice portal. Unlimited e-invoices are included in every Shellkube plan.Zoho BooksZoho is a GST Suvidha Provider (GSP), so invoices go straight to the IRP. E-invoices are part of the Standard plan and up.
E-way bill: Odoo with ShellkubeGenerated in Odoo from the invoice or from the stock delivery. Unlimited e-way bills are included in every plan.Zoho BooksGenerated in Zoho Books once you register Zoho as your GSP on the e-way bill portal.
More than one GSTIN: Odoo with ShellkubeMultiple GSTINs and state-wise place-of-supply rules, so interstate and intrastate tax applies correctly on each invoice.Zoho BooksMultiple GSTINs supported.
Moving off Tally: Odoo with ShellkubeWe move your chart of accounts, ledgers, masters and open balances, and check them against your Tally trial balance before you switch. Tally to Odoo migrationZoho BooksZoho offers migration assistance, and TallyPrime and Tally ERP are on its list of source software.
Where your data lives: Odoo with ShellkubeHosted in India as standard, or on your own server. If you leave, you get the full database, the files and the source of your own modules.Zoho BooksZoho's cloud. For accounts in India, Zoho lists data centres in Mumbai (primary) and Chennai (secondary).
Cost model: Odoo with ShellkubeOne price per company per year, set by how many people use Odoo daily. Light users, who only approve, view or use self-service, are free. Setup is a fixed-price Go-Live Package. See pricesZoho BooksMonthly or yearly subscription per organisation. Each plan includes a set number of users; more users are a paid add-on.
Stock and production: Odoo with ShellkubeStock by warehouse and lot, purchase and manufacturing (BOMs, work orders, job work) in the same database as your books.Zoho BooksStock tracking from the Standard plan; warehouses, batch and serial tracking from the Elite plan. Manufacturing is not in Zoho Books' plan list; Zoho sells it in Zoho ERP.
CRM, helpdesk, HR: Odoo with ShellkubePart of the same Odoo, on the same database.Zoho BooksSeparate Zoho products (for example Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk), each with its own subscription.
Support: Odoo with ShellkubeThe team that built your setup supports it after go-live, by ticket and email, with phone support on higher plans.Zoho BooksEmail support on every plan; phone and chat on higher plans. India toll-free line, Monday to Friday.

Zoho details are from zoho.com/in/books (features, pricing, e-invoicing pages) and Zoho's data-centre page. Prices are left out on purpose: they change, and Zoho publishes them on its own site.

When to pick which

Pick by how you work.

Short answers by team type. If you sit between two, a free demo on your own data settles it.

Service firm or consultancy
Zoho Books
You mostly raise invoices, track expenses and file GST. Zoho Books is quick to start and there is nothing to host.
Small team already on Zoho apps
Zoho Books
If you already use Zoho Mail, CRM or Desk, Zoho Books fits in with them.
Trader or distributor
Odoo
Stock in more than one godown, lots, party-wise price lists, purchase and GST in one place.
Manufacturer
Odoo
BOMs, work orders and job work linked to stock and accounts. See Odoo for manufacturing.
Growing team, many departments
Odoo
Sales, stores, production and accounts work on one database, so nothing is typed twice. See Odoo for growing teams.
Owner who wants control
Odoo
Data hosted in India or on your own server. If you leave, you take the full database, files and your own code. Any Odoo partner can take over.

Zoho ERP

What about Zoho ERP?

Zoho ERP is a separate Zoho product, not a bigger Zoho Books plan. It covers financials, supply chain, manufacturing, distribution and payroll, and is priced per user per month with a minimum number of users.

So if you are weighing Odoo against Zoho ERP, the features are closer, and the real differences are how you pay and where your data sits. Zoho ERP is priced per user in Zoho's cloud. With Shellkube, Odoo is one yearly price per company set by daily users, light users (people who only approve, view or use self-service) are free, and it is hosted in India or on your own server.

Switching

Moving from Zoho Books to Odoo.

A fixed scope, not an open-ended project. Coming from Tally instead? See Tally to Odoo migration.

Assess and quote. We map how you use Zoho Books today and what you need next, then quote a fixed-price Go-Live Package in writing.
Migrate and check. Chart of accounts, ledgers, masters and open balances move across and are checked against your trial balance.
Go live. Your team is trained on real data and you cut over. Your yearly subscription starts at go-live, not before.

Not sure where to start? Our Odoo consulting team can review your setup first.

Beyond the books

Same database, more of the business.

Each app below is part of Odoo and shares one database with your accounts.

How you pay

One price, per company.

Set by daily users
One price per company per year, set by how many people use Odoo daily. Light users, who only approve, view or use self-service, are free.
Fixed-price go-live
Setup is a fixed-price Go-Live Package, paid in instalments as agreed outcomes are reached.
Starts at go-live
The subscription starts when you go live. Data hosted in India, and a clean exit with your full data.

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Questions

Before you decide.

Is Odoo better than Zoho Books?

It depends on what you run. For a service business that mainly needs GST invoices and returns, Zoho Books is simpler. When stock, manufacturing, purchase and sales must share one database, Odoo fits better, because it is a full ERP rather than an accounting app.

Zoho Books vs Odoo: which costs less?

They are priced differently. Zoho Books is a subscription per organisation, with a set number of users in each plan and paid add-on users. With Shellkube, Odoo is one price per company per year, set by how many people use it daily. Light users are free: people who only approve, view reports and dashboards, or use self-service (payslips, leave, attendance, timesheets, the portal), plus your CA’s login. Anyone who creates or edits records as part of their daily work, such as invoices, orders or stock moves, is a daily user. Setup is a fixed-price Go-Live Package paid against outcomes, and the subscription starts at go-live. See our pricing for the figures.

Does Odoo handle GST e-invoicing and e-way bills like Zoho Books?

Yes. Odoo generates the e-invoice IRN and the e-way bill through its connection to the NIC portals, and GSTR-1 and 3B data comes from your books. Unlimited e-invoices and e-way bills are included in every Shellkube plan.

What is the difference between Zoho Books and Zoho ERP?

Zoho Books is Zoho's accounting app, priced per organisation. Zoho ERP is a separate Zoho product with supply chain, manufacturing and distribution modules, priced per user with a minimum number of users.

Can we move our Zoho Books data to Odoo?

Yes. Chart of accounts, ledgers, masters and open balances are moved over and verified against your trial balance before cut-over. Migration is part of our fixed-scope implementation.

Where is our data stored?

With Shellkube, Odoo is hosted in India, or on your own server if you prefer. If you leave, you get a full database dump, the files and the source of your own modules. Zoho Books runs in Zoho's cloud; for India, Zoho lists data centres in Mumbai and Chennai.

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See it on your own data.

Tell us how you run Zoho Books today. We set up an Odoo demo on your own products, parties and GST setup — then quote your plan and a fixed-price Go-Live Package.

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