Odoo vs Personio

A detailed comparison of leading Human Resources software for SMEs.

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Introduction


Essential for strengthening employer-employee relationships, human resource systems have evolved over the years to include more aspects of HR officers’ functions. From fleet, and payroll management to time off and attendance, HR systems can accommodate varying scopes and budgets, answering to the needs of organizations of all sizes. Traditionally, human resource processes heavily relied on face-to-face communication and extensive paper-based tasks. However, available systems have simplified HR operations, reducing paperwork and allowing employees to allocate more time to essential tasks.

Choosing the right software is crucial for effectively attracting, nurturing, and retaining top talent. We have carefully selected and analyzed some of the most popular solutions available, including Odoo, BambooHR, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, Workday, and Personio. In this page, we have created tables highlighting the availability of key features of Odoo vs Personio in several areas, namely employees, recruitment, time off, appraisals, referrals, fleet management, and expenses. Happy reading!

Odoo

Created to disrupt the enterprise world and finally provide a software that covers complex needs with simplicity, Odoo has become one of the most popular business solutions. With more than 82 business apps fully integrated and thousands of community modules, the open-source software caters to every sector and company size, making it a major player in the market. The Belgian software counts more than 20,000 downloads per day, making it the most installed app suite and a direct competitor to companies like NetSuite, Shopify, PrestaShop and Microsoft.

"Attract, nurture, and retain: the HR tool for your amazing employees!"

12 million +
users

44,000 +
integrated apps

1 to 6 weeks
to be implemented

3000 +
employees

Personio 

Personio is a comprehensive HR management platform tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (10 - 2000 employees). It provides features around HR Management (Time Tracking, Absence, Onboarding, etc.), Talent Management (Performance, Training, etc.), and Payroll. Personio is recognized for its scalability, user-friendly interface, and customization options designed for SMEs.

"The people operating system - everything starts with people"

Not available
users

150 +
integrated apps

4 weeks
to be implemented

2,100 +
employees

Features Comparison

Employees

Odoo

Personio

Employee Profiles & Data

Employee Profile Management

Homeworking Management

Private Data & File Storage

Resume Generation

Employee Stages

Community module

Employee Skillset Tracking


 

Equipment Inventory (e.g., laptop)


 

Equipment Allocation Request

Community module

Benefits Overview (e.g., insurances)


Multi-Company Configuration



Work Location



Customizable Departmental Structure



Organization Chart & Approval Workflow



Field Format Validation


Employee Workload Calculation

Community module

Employee Social Links

Community module


Resume Preview (without downloading)


Print Resume

Access Rights Management


Global HR Flow

Contract Lifecycle Management

 

Benefits Coordination & Contract Renewal



Simulation Link Generation



Contract Termination Process



Work Schedule Configuration


Employee Satisfaction Tracking

Achievement Gamification (Badges & Challenges)


Loan for Employee

Community module

eLearning


Digital Document Handling



Internal Communication

Messaging Tool


Add-on

Team Collaboration Chatter



Enterprise Social Network



Notes & Comments



Document eSignature Capability



Reporting & Dashboards

Dashboards



Reporting



Recruitment

Odoo

Personio

Global Recruitment Flow – Part. 1

End-to-End Recruitment

Applicant History Log


Application Status


Customizable Job Positions


Flexible Employment Status


Job Position Creation



Job Position Page Building Blocks



Insert Images/Videos on Job Position Page



Custom Apply Form



Job Position Publishing Control


Candidate Pipeline Kanban View (Drag and Drop)



Employment Website Connectivity (e.g., Indeed)



LinkedIn Profile Application Support


LinkedIn Profile Link


Applicant Tracking System (ATS)



Email Tracking for Sources


Visual Differentiation Between Internal and External Candidates


Resume OCR



Resume Skills OCR



Resume Preview (without downloading)


Global Recruitment Flow – Part. 2

Applicant Skills Logging



Applicant Start Date Availability



Applicant Expected Salary Capture



Interviewer Assignment with Application Access



Calendar Integration for Interview Scheduling



Room Booking for On-site Interview


Add-on

Interview Form



Interview Feedback & Rating


Application Examination (by peer colleagues)

Offer Template


Online Offer Sending



Salary Self Configurator



Contract Digital Signature (eSignature)



Customizable Rejection Reasons


Onboarding & Information Package Management

Off-boarding Process Management


Productivity & Collaboration

Status Audit Trail

Reminders

Customizable Activity Types


Communication w/ team & recruits

Messaging Tool

Email Template

Refusal Reasons Tied to Email Templates


Automated Application Rejection Email

Team Collaboration Chatter


Private Notes/Comments on Applicant

Chatbot


Livechat (w/ recruiters)


Voice over IP Support


Integrated Call Widget


Integrated SMS Widget

Whatsapp Integration


Reporting & Dashboards

Reporting


Dashboards

Mobile Application Integration


Digital Document Handling


Referrals

Odoo

Personio

Referrals & Rewards

Job Position Sharing

1

Add-on

Referral System for Friends

Add-on

Active Referral Tracking

Add-on

Alert Notifications (banner)


Point-Based Gamification

Add-on

Stage-Specific Points Allocation (e.g., CV received)


Levels Determination (based on accumulated points)


Rewards Management

Add-on

Reward-Type Specific Responsible Person


Reporting & Dashboards

Reporting

Add-on

Dashboards

Add-on

Attendances

Odoo

Personio

Time & Attendances

Employee Time Management


Mobile Support


Employee Work Hours Control


Extra Hours Management


Support RFID, Badge, Pin code, Manual Identification


Extra Hours Tolerance (employer/employee)


Rights Management


Reporting


Time off

Odoo

Personio

Time Off Configurations & Management

Time Off Management (e.g., Holidays)


Leave Allocation (e.g., Paternity Leave)


Employee Overtime Management


Accrual Plans and Public Holiday Setup


Accruals w/ Attendance (accrued hourly)


Stress Day Configuration


Customizable Time Off Types


Visual Leave Type Display Options (Symbol & Color)


Full & Half-Day Time Off Options


Future Time Off Visualisation


Time Off Approval and Status Tracking


Negative Time Off


Remaining Time Off Visibility (Per Type)


Calendar & Gantt Chart View


Team-Wide Time Off View


Part-time Employee (France)


Social Secretary Specific Leave


Reporting & Dashboards

Reporting


Dashboards


Appraisals

Odoo

Personio

Perfomance Assessment

Appraisal Plan


Appraisal Template Creation


Multiple Managers Appraisal Capability


Goal Sharing & Milestone Tracking


Career Focus/Development Goals



Core Values


Manual Appraisal Requesting


Appraisal Status Monitoring


Appraisal Calendar Overview


Appraisal Content Comparison (Employee vs Manager)


Appraisal Visibility Options (for managers)


Skill Progress Assessment


360-Degree Feedback


Survey Template for 360-Degree Feedback


Evaluation Scale & Final Rating


Recommended Learning Courses



Mentor/Coach



Productivity, Communication & Collaboration

Messaging Tool

Add-on

Collaboration Chatter

Integrated meeting planning


Reminders & Next Action Scheduling


Reporting & Dashboards

Dashboard


Individual Performance Reporting


Comparative Analysis Tool (by department/individual)


Company-wide Performance Reporting


Fleet

Odoo

Personio

Fleet Management

Car Categories Classification


Vehicle Template Configuration


Drivers History (Current vs Future Driver)


Customizable Service Options


Employee Vehicle Request

Community module


Leasing Contract Administration


Vehicle Maintenance Tracking


Vehicle Crash Incident Follow-Up


Mileage Tracking System


Fuel Consumption Tracking


Reporting & Dashboards

Reporting


Dashboards


Expenses

Odoo

Personio

Global Expense Flow

Customizable Expense Categories

Add-on

Document Management & Justification

Add-on

Receipt Capture (Picture or Import)

Add-on

Expense Digitalization (OCR)

Add-on

Split Expenses by Tax Rates

Add-on

Reimbursement in Payslips

Expense Policies and Approval Process

Add-on

Additional Approvers Adding

Community module

Add-on

Expense Status Tracking

Add-on

Visa Request


Reporting & Dashboards

Dashboards

Add-on

Reporting

Add-on

Payroll

Odoo

Personio

Global Payroll Flow

Monthly Payroll Completion

Add-on

Mass Confirm Payslip

Community module


Salary Structure Type Setup


Commission Plan


Pay On-Demand/Salary Advance

Community module


Work Entries & Conflict Resolution


Warning Notifications


Employee Overtime Management


Payslip Preview (without downloading)


Document Signature


Salary Attachments Management


Part-Time Contract Management


Contracts History

Deferred Time Off support


Employees Bank Account Verification


Payroll based on Attendance


Payroll based on Planning


Employee Gratuity Settlement

Community module


Reporting & Dashboards

Dashboards

Add-on

General Employer Cost Overview

Add-on

Employee Trend Analysis

Add-on

Fiscal Reporting Tools

Add-on

Usability, Pricing & Conditions

Odoo

Personio

Implementation

Ease of Setup

9.0/10

8.2/10

Ease of Use

9.6/10

8.8/10

Meets Requirements

9.5/10

8.1/10

Users Satisfaction

Ratings on g2Crowd

4.2/5

4.3/5

Ratings on GetApp

4.2/5

4.3/5

Ratings on Capterra

4.1/5

4.3/5

Pricing & Conditions

Pricing

6€

Custom pricing (quote)

1 Free App


Open-Source


Hosting

Cloud & On-premise

Cloud

Free Trial


Quality of Support

8.0/10

8.9/10

User Interface

The user interface (UI) is often overlooked in software development, as organizations tend to prioritize core functions and back-end development over creating a highly functional UI. However, this imbalance leads to a poor user experience and limited productivity. 

Efficiency and user satisfaction heavily rely on well-designed usability in software. A successful solution must consider user needs and goals to assist them effectively. The UI is crucial in understanding human factors and enabling the software to fulfill its purpose. Therefore, a strong and functional design is vital for creating a positive user experience.

In the context of HR management tools, a good UI becomes even more essential. HR professionals handle sensitive employee information, and a well-designed UI ensures secure and intuitive access and management of this data. It reduces the risk of errors, data breaches, and unauthorized access. Additionally, HR professionals manage a wide range of tasks, from recruitment to payroll administration. A well-designed UI simplifies these complex processes, streamlining workflows and saving time and effort.

A good UI also enhances job satisfaction and engagement among HR professionals. By reducing frustration and cognitive load, a visually appealing and user-friendly interface allows them to focus on strategic HR activities. This not only boosts productivity but also helps attract and retain top HR talent, as professionals are more likely to prefer tools that make their work easier and more enjoyable. 

Furthermore, a well-designed UI promotes self-service capabilities for employees. By providing an intuitive and accessible interface, employees can easily access HR information, request time off, review benefits, and perform other self-service tasks. This empowers employees, reduces the burden on HR staff, and fosters a culture of transparency and autonomy within the organization. 


Different solutions, Different needs

When choosing the right software for your business, it is important to assess several criteria based on your specific needs.

Business Scope measures a software’s capacity to meet your business needs comprehensively through its features and its flexibility in customizability and integration with other tools. 

User-friendliness measures how straightforward and user-friendly a software solution is for your team to navigate, requiring minimal training or complex procedures. Additionally, it evaluates how hassle-free the software is to set up, considering factors like time, effort, and resource requirements for initial configuration within your organization.

Odoo is a robust solution that addresses a wide range of business needs, extending far beyond HR functions. This platform is designed to streamline operations and replace the need for disjointed, non-integrated software applications. Odoo shines as a highly customizable, all-in-one solution with a multitude of applications. Its open-source nature empowers a thriving community, resulting in a vast repository of community-contributed applications. It is the only solution covering fleet management capability.

Personio is considered as an out-of-the-box solution with limitations in terms of customization. It offers specialized HR solutions but may lack more advanced features. It doesn’t provide an all-in-one solution for businesses aiming to extend beyond HR needs.

When it comes to user-friendliness, Odoo and Personio all offer intuitive interfaces, making them suitable for users of varying technical backgrounds. Their straightforward setup procedures ensure a hassle-free experience.

It is important to consider the specific needs and scale of your business when assessing which solution is the best fit, as the ease of use and setup can vary significantly among these options.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice depends on your organization’s specific requirements, scale, and the balance between customization, ease of use, and setup. 

If you are seeking specific HR solutionsOdoo and Personio might be good fits. Thanks to their user-friendliness and ease of setup, these systems are particularly well-suited for organizations with limited resources for extensive IT support and training. They provide efficient solutions for HR needs without overwhelming complexity. 

If you have more extensive requirements and resources, you may find Odoo highly appealing. It offers advanced features and can accommodate complex HR processes. Oracle HCM and Workday may be overwhelming for smaller businesses, making them better suited for larger enterprises with a more extensive IT infrastructure, while SAP SuccessFactors might have more limitations in terms of customization.