Introduction
Today, Accounting is not only restricted to data entry, ledgers, bookkeeping, and number crunching. It is evolving over time in order to meet business needs. The accounting industry is undergoing drastic changes due to technological advancements, automation, artificial intelligence, RPA, machine learning, and analytical processing. This is leading to digitally transforming businesses and industries.
One major emerging Accounting trend is the switch over to the ERP system. They provide you an opportunity to integrate your accounting software with financial data and other elements of business such as inventory, sales, manufacturing, etc.
It is expected that accounting software will be in high demand in the upcoming years. Accounting software available can be either installed locally or through a cloud service provider.
Features Comparison
This analysis compares two of the top players of the Indian market: Odoo 17 and Zoho Books. This comparison is organized into 9 main categories: General Accounting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Bank and Cash, Miscellaneous Operations, Document Management, Analytic Accounting/Cost Centres, Extras, and Reporting.
These categories encompass almost everything a company needs to manage its finances. We have also included a comprehensive list of the pricing conditions and usability analysis for each solution in this comparison.
Odoo
Odoo is a leading integrated ERP software used worldwide for managing business processes. Apps and modules are present for CRM, Sales, eCommerce, Inventory, Accounting, Billing, Manufacturing, etc.
It possesses an impressive user interface & modular structure, highly customizable, scalable, and affordable. This suite of open-source business apps is designed to meet industry-specific demands.
Odoo Enterprise Edition (paid), Odoo Community Edition (paid), and SaaS subscription plans are offered by it. It is easy to use, extremely flexible, and integrates with several third-party add-on software apps. It is suitable for both small to large companies.
"Amazing employees deserve amazing software."
12 million +
monthly users
44,000 +
apps
5,000 +
partners
140
countries
Zoho Books
A cloud-based accounting software that empowers businesses to control their finances in an efficient manner. Zoho Books works in all dimensions from expense tracking, bank reconciliation, time tracking, project management, invoicing, workflow automation, GST compliance, and many more.
The features present in the free trial version of Zoho Books are the same as those of the Premium plan of Zoho Books. A 14-day free trial period is offered to the users after they sign up for the Zoho Books. There are six subscription plans for Zoho Books- Free, Standard, Professional, Premium, Elite, and Ultimate.
"Accounting-The building block of financial growth "
100 million
monthly users
55
apps
3,000
partners
150 +
countries
Features Comparison
General Accounting
Odoo
Zoho Books
General Scope
Multi-currency
Multi-Branches
Multi-User
Multiple Journals
Multiple Language Support
Supported Countries
140
15
Accrual and Cash Basis
Real Time Accounting
Access Rights
Access Rights per Screen
Access Rights per Field
Customizable Validation Steps
Third-Party Integration
API
Spreadsheet Integration
Import: Excel or CSV
Export: Excel or CSV
Customer Portal
Customer / Vendor Communication
Emails
Whatsapp
Third Party
Internal Communication
Email
Chat
Video Conference
Accounts Receivable
Odoo
Zoho Books
Customer Invoice
Proforma Invoices
Multiple Taxes per Line
Discounts
Pricelists
Advanced Payments Terms
Cash Discounts
Outstanding Payments Reconciliation
Configurable Email Templates
eSignature on Invoices
Customer Credit Limit
Artificial Intelligence
Real Time Accounting
OCR Invoices
Auto-Reconcile
Account Prediction AI
Send Invoices
Generate a PDF invoice
Batch Send Invoices by Email
Send by WhatsApp
Post Invoices by Standard Mail
Customer Statements
Aged Receivable Balance
Per Customer Statements
Automated Follow-up Emails
Automated Follow-up Letters
Automated Follow-up Actions
Unpaid Fees and Penalties
Third-Party Debits Recovery
Online Payments
Credit Cards
PayPal
UPI
Recurring Revenues
Automated Recurring Invoices
Contracts / Subscriptions Management
Recurring Business KPIs (MRR, Churn)
Alerts for Contract Renewal
Miscellaneous
Automated COGS Entries
Automated Deferred Revenues
Sales Order Acruals
Accounts Payable
Odoo
Zoho Books
Vendor Bills
Billing Control (Purchase Orders / Receptions)
3-Way Matching
Multiple Taxes per Line
Purchase Agreements
Multi-Step Payment Terms
Side-by-side View: PDF/Form
Expenses
Mobile App
Validation Process
Reimburse employees
Artificial Intelligence
Scan Vendor Bills
Scan Expense receipts
Vendor Payments
Aged Payable Report
Print Checks
Automate Wire Transfer (SEPA)
ACH Transfers
Expenses
Employee Expenses Report
Expenses Validation Flow
Disallowed Expenses
Miscellaneous
Assets Management
Purchase Accruals
Bank and Cash
Odoo
Zoho Books
Bank Statements
Bank Interfaces
Import Interfaces: SEPA
Import Statements: OFX, QIF
Import Statements: CSV
Import Statements: Camt.053
Deposit Tickets
Miscellaneous
Bank Reconciliation Reports
Automated Currencies Rate
Automate Currency Gains/Losses
SDD Mandate
Miscellaneous Operations
Odoo
Zoho Books
Indian Localisation
GST Filing
TDS
eInvoicing
eWaybill
UPI
Audits
Multi-Branches
Journal Entries
Automatic Transfers
Intercompany Entries
Auto-Post in Future
Journal Items Cut-Offs
Documents Management
Document Management
Document Search Engine
Auto-split Multiple Invoices
Customer Portal
Collect by Email
Collect by Scan
Upload from Portal
Analytic Accounting / Cost Centers
Analytic Accounting
Multi-level Analytic Accounts
Multiple Plans
Automatic Propositions
Extras
Odoo
Zoho Books
Analytic Accounting / Grouping
Analytic / Cost Accounting
Multi-Level Analytic Accounting
Multiple Plans
Optional Tags per Entry
Budgets
General Budgets
Analytic Budgets
Payroll
Payroll
Valuation
Standard Price
Average Price
FIFO
LIFO
Perpetual Valuation
Other
Contracts Electronic Signatures
Multi-company consolidation
Reporting
Odoo
Zoho Books
Legal Statements
Profit & Loss
Balance Sheet
Cashflow Statement
General Ledger
Tax Reports
Tax Audit Report
Bank Reconciliation
Aged Receivable
Aged Payable
Executive Summary
Reports
Pivot Table on Multiple Dimensions
Customizable Dashboards
Spreadsheet
Annotate Reports
Customizable KPI’s
Ratio Analysis
Predefined Fiscal Year Closing
Usability, Pricing & Conditions
Odoo
Zoho Books
UI
Full Web Interface
Mobile App
Android App
iPhone App
Productivity Tools
Mass Edit
Group by in lists
Screen Designer
Marketplace
App Store / Add-ons
Subjective Rating
Navigation
9/10
9/10
Search
10/10
8/10
Shortcuts
9/10
7/10
Data Entry
8/10
7/10
Reconciliation Tool
10/10
9/10
Mobile App
10/10
9/10
Reports Customization
9/10
9/10
Pricing and Conditions
Pricing
Free, Forever
₹8,988 /year -
₹96,000 /year
Contract Duration
Monthly & Yearly
Monthly & Yearly
Free Trial
15 days
14 days
Free Updates
Hosting & Maintenance
Support
Different solutions, Different needs
In order to excel in business, it is important to streamline ineffective processes. For it, you need to opt for the right software. This leads to the analysis of certain parameters such as features, functionality, workflow, etc.
Business scope evaluates the software functions, specifications, usability, customization capability, and integrations with other tools for your business growth.
User-friendliness measures how software is user-friendly to use easily & intuitively and whether it is adaptable to the business according to its tailored needs or not. It evaluates how the software is simple to install along with the updates requiring minimal effort to understand & avoid time consuming training and procedures. It should also adhere to the industry standards and be efficient after all.
Odoo and Zoho Books have introduced game-changing software solutions to the accounting world. These software help you to ameliorate a business’s financial accuracy and visibility so that valuable time can be spent on more important tasks by integrating all business applications at one place and enhancing productivity.
Odoo is one of the robust all-in-one business management software which fastens the accounting operations placing all necessary tools at one place. It’s highly customizable, integrates multiple applications, and accelerates businesses with an open source nature! Its open-source nature empowers a thriving community resulting in a vast repository of community-contributed applications. It is the best solution provider for bill management.
Zoho Books has enriched automation features for financial functions which is competitive to other accounting softwares in the marketplace. However, it may fail for advanced analytics. Zoho gives the reliability to access all your work from one place by integrating with other business applications. However, it is not user-friendly, it may be difficult to use for those business owners who are not tech-savvy.
Odoo offers top-notch modular architecture & fosters continuous development and adaptability. Businesses have the flexibility to use any one of its applications that aligns with their needs. It has an extremely user-friendly user interface, provides straightforward navigation and is comprehensive by nature.
On the other hand, Zoho Books is not easily adaptable and its learning curve is long. Business owners may find it difficult to understand and implement it. Zoho Books may be a good choice for task automation, but not for streaming business operations. It possesses a lack of payroll services, and doesn't incline integration options.
Conclusion
Accounting software vendor- Zoho was the first “modern” accounting software to surf on the wave and offered a modern software solution for accountants.
Odoo has always been the leading product worldwide in terms of usability and feature coverage, years ahead of other accounting softwares on these two values. But, Odoo’s Indian localization was not perfectly mature before 2023. Now, it is on par with Zoho with all Indian features (GST filing, multi-branches, TDS, UPI, e Waybill, e-Invoicing,etc.).
Odoo has become the most complete and user-friendly software for Indian accounting. Its user base is still small, as they have just started. But, the product is superior at a lower price (Odoo Accounting is even free on Odoo Online).
