You have chosen between Community and Enterprise - but you are not done yet. The next question is just as decisive: where does Odoo run? Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or your own server? That choice decides whether you can run customisation, who does the upgrades, and what support you get. Here is the honest overview.
What many companies overlook: “which Odoo” is really two questions. One about the edition (Community or Enterprise), and one about the hosting form. They are connected, but not the same. The edition decides which features you get; the hosting form decides where it runs, who manages it and how much you can customise. This article is about that second question.
The three hosting forms
Odoo Online
The simplest option: fully Odoo-managed cloud. You log in and it works - backups, updates and upgrades happen automatically. The price is that you cannot run custom code or third-party apps. You can configure and customise with Studio. Odoo Online has a free “One App” variant and an “All Apps” subscription. For companies with standard processes that want to start quickly, this is often enough.
Odoo.sh
Odoo developer cloud, exclusive to Enterprise. Odoo.sh gives you a production, staging and development environment with Git integration and automatic backups - and, crucially, the room to run customisation and third-party apps. You choose between a shared and dedicated environment, priced per worker. This is the sweet spot for companies that want the conveniences of the cloud but still need customisation.
Self-hosting (on-premise)
You run Odoo on your own server or with your own hosting provider. Maximum control and customisation possible, but you carry the backups, security updates, maintenance and version upgrades yourself. Official Odoo support and our support are more limited here, simply because we do not manage the environment. For most companies the management work does not outweigh the control - unless there is a specific reason (compliance, data location, existing infrastructure).
In a table
| Odoo Online | Odoo.sh | Self-hosting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edition | Enterprise | Enterprise | Community or Enterprise |
| Custom code | No | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps | No | Yes | Yes |
| Backups & updates | By Odoo | By Odoo | Yourself |
| Version upgrades | Automatic | Assisted | Yourself (heavy work) |
| Staging environment | No | Yes | Set up yourself |
| Support (Odoo + Fanatics) | Full | Full | Limited |
| Best for | Fast start, standard | Customisation with cloud ease | Maximum control |
Two things that often go wrong
Customisation and Odoo Online do not mix. The most common surprise: a company picks Odoo Online to start quickly, then gets stuck later because customisation or an external integration turns out to be needed. Know up front whether you will run customisation - then you start straight on Odoo.sh instead of having to migrate later.
Switching is usually only possible on a major version. Migrating between hosting forms (for example from Online to Odoo.sh) is a supported path, but not a switch you flip on a whim. Plan such a move around a version upgrade (xx.0) and test it up front.
How does this relate to Community vs Enterprise?
The two choices interlock. Odoo Online and Odoo.sh are Enterprise-only; self-hosting works with both editions. So if you want the cloud conveniences of Odoo.sh, you are automatically on Enterprise. The full trade-off between the editions is in Odoo Community vs Enterprise: which to choose?.
The honest conclusion
The hosting choice comes down to the same question as the edition choice: how much work and risk do you want to carry yourself, and how much do you want to buy off? Odoo Online buys off the most (but trades away flexibility), self-hosting gives the most control (but puts the work on you), and Odoo.sh sits deliberately in between. For most companies with some customisation need, Odoo.sh is the golden mean.
Unsure which hosting form fits you? Schedule a no-obligation Quickscan and together we will determine the right combination of edition, hosting and approach - in 20 minutes.
Read more: Odoo Community vs Enterprise · The most-asked Odoo questions · What does an Odoo implementation cost? · Odoo reviews: 2,500+ reviews · All Odoo comparisons