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SMB ERP comparison
Odoo vs Business Central: choosing an ERP for a growing SME
Business Central is Microsoft's ERP for small and mid-sized firms, and the successor to Dynamics NAV. Odoo is an all-in-one ERP with CRM, eCommerce and manufacturing on one database. Both are strong SMB choices, and the right answer depends on how your business sells, stocks and grows.
The short answer
- Business Central is a solid finance-led ERP with deep Microsoft 365 links
- Odoo includes CRM, eCommerce, POS, HR and projects that Business Central adds via other apps
- Odoo licences start at £18 per user, Business Central Essentials at £61.50
- Manufacturing needs Business Central Premium; Odoo includes MRP in its standard apps
- Both need a partner-led implementation
Overview
Business Central vs Odoo: finance-led vs operations-led
Business Central grew out of Dynamics NAV. It is strong on financials, purchasing, inventory and reporting, and it sits naturally beside Outlook, Teams and Excel. CRM, eCommerce and field service usually come from other Dynamics 365 apps, AppSource extensions or third-party tools.
Odoo was built as a suite of integrated apps. CRM, sales, inventory, manufacturing, accounting, eCommerce, point of sale, helpdesk, projects and HR share one database and one interface.
Both are good SMB ERPs. The difference is how much of your business sits outside finance, and whether you want Microsoft alignment or one platform for everything.
Business Central is often the right choice if
- Finance and reporting are the main drivers
- Your team lives in Microsoft 365 and Excel
- You are upgrading from Dynamics NAV
- Your accountant or group already uses Business Central
- You prefer the Microsoft partner ecosystem
Side by side
Odoo vs Business Central comparison table
Prices are as listed on vendor sites, September 2026, in GBP, ex VAT, per user per month on annual billing. Always check the vendor for current pricing.
| Odoo | Business Central | |
|---|---|---|
| Core scope | Full ERP: CRM, sales, stock, manufacturing, accounting, eCommerce, POS, HR, projects | Financials, sales, purchasing, inventory, projects; service and manufacturing in Premium |
| Pricing | One App Free; Standard £18 first year (list £22); Custom £32 first year (list £41) | Essentials £61.50; Premium £84.60; Team Members £6.20 for light users |
| Manufacturing | MRP, BoMs, work centres, quality, maintenance, PLM included | Requires Premium; advanced features often via extensions |
| CRM | Full CRM on the same database | Basic contacts and opportunities; Dynamics 365 Sales licensed separately |
| eCommerce and POS | Built-in website, eCommerce and POS apps | Via third-party connectors such as Shopify or AppSource apps |
| Deployment | Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or on-premise; open source Community edition | Microsoft cloud; on-premise option available |
| UK compliance | UK localisation and MTD VAT | UK localisation and MTD VAT |
| Microsoft 365 | Outlook integration and Excel export | Deep native Outlook, Teams, Excel and Power BI integration |
| Best for | Manufacturers, distributors, retailers and multi-channel SMEs | Finance-led SMEs and Microsoft-first organisations |
See Odoo pricing UK for how Odoo licences work in practice.
Where each wins
Strengths of Business Central and Odoo
Microsoft 365 experience
Open Business Central data inside Outlook, Teams and Excel, with Power BI reporting and Copilot built in.
Mature finance and NAV heritage
Decades of NAV development behind its financials, dimensions and reporting, with a large partner channel.
Everything in one licence
CRM, eCommerce, POS, helpdesk, HR and manufacturing without adding separate products. See Odoo implementation.
Lower cost per user
A standard Odoo licence is a fraction of Business Central Essentials, which matters as user numbers grow.
Upgrading from Dynamics NAV?
NAV end of life: Business Central or Odoo?
Dynamics NAV users are being moved towards Business Central. Many assume that is the only path, but an upgrade from heavily customised NAV is often close to a re-implementation anyway.
If you are going to redesign processes and move data regardless, it is worth comparing Odoo at the same time. Firms with CRM, eCommerce or manufacturing needs often find Odoo covers more in one system for a lower licence cost.
Worth comparing Odoo if
- Your NAV system is heavily customised
- CRM and eCommerce run in separate tools
- You need manufacturing or batch traceability
- User numbers are growing
- You want to reduce licence and integration costs
Which should you choose
Odoo or Business Central: a simple decision guide
Choose Business Central if
- Your requirements are mainly finance, purchasing and inventory.
- Microsoft 365, Teams and Power BI are central to how you work.
- You are already invested in NAV or Business Central and it works for you.
Choose Odoo if
- You want CRM, eCommerce, POS and manufacturing on one database.
- You want lower per-user licensing as you grow.
- You want the option of cloud, Odoo.sh or self-hosting.
For larger organisations see Odoo vs Dynamics 365. Not sure? Our ERP implementation partner guide explains how we assess fit.
Migration
How to move from NAV or Business Central to Odoo
Full detail on our Odoo migration page.
Choose the cut-over
Agree a go-live at a month, quarter or VAT period end.
Map the ledger
Map G/L accounts, dimensions, posting groups and VAT codes to Odoo.
Move master data
Customers, vendors, items, BoMs, price lists and stock, cleaned first.
Balances and open items
Load opening balances, open invoices, bills and orders.
Parallel check and go live
Reconcile, train users, then hypercare and Odoo support.
Try Odoo free
Start your free Odoo trial
Explore Odoo's apps in your own trial database. When you are ready, we will help you configure it for how your business really works.
FAQs
Odoo vs Business Central: common questions
Is Odoo a good alternative to Business Central?
Is Odoo cheaper than Business Central?
Does Business Central include CRM?
Which is better for manufacturing?
Should we upgrade Dynamics NAV to Business Central or move to Odoo?
Does Odoo integrate with Microsoft 365?
Comparing SMB ERPs?
Find out whether Odoo or Business Central fits you
Tell us what you run today and where it hurts. An Odoo consultant will reply within one working day with an honest view, including when Business Central makes more sense.
- Free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation
- Fit assessment across finance, stock and operations
- Migration plan and fixed-scope proposal