An honest comparison of two ERP systems, from my own practice.
A few years ago I sold my cloud-software company. Nice deal, great people, and I got the chance to keep building inside the company that had bought us - a mature SMB with around 180 employees.
That’s where I first ran into AFAS. Everything was in it: accounting, payroll, leave management. But let’s be honest: as soon as you looked beyond the finance team, the story changed.
We used Topdesk for helpdesk. Parrot for newsletters. Outlook for communication. And reports… those often cost more time than the project itself.
The system worked, but it also got in our way. What were we missing? An overall picture. One central place where all the information came together. A 360-degree view from customer to project to invoice. And that’s exactly what AFAS couldn’t give us.
A few years later I left that company. Not because of the people - because I felt it could be done differently. Better. And then I - luckily - ran into Odoo again.
Everything I’d been searching for suddenly fell into place. And I decided: this is the platform SMB companies can really move forward with. Today, with my company Radical FANATICS, I help dozens of entrepreneurs a year make the switch. And every day - like my clients - I’m grateful I did.
Odoo vs AFAS: the big picture
| Feature | Odoo | AFAS |
|---|---|---|
| Usability | Modern and intuitive | Less accessible for non-finance users |
| Flexibility | Modular, extensible | Rigid, mostly within its own frame |
| 360 customer view | All integrated | Many separate tools needed |
| Pricing structure | Pay per user | Expensive quickly as you grow |
| Payroll processing | Via integration or import | Native |
| Open API and integrations | Yes, very open | More limited, more closed ecosystem |
Want the full comparison? See our honest Odoo vs AFAS comparison.
What if your company wants more than just bookkeeping?
Project-driven organisations
If you work with projects, work orders, time tracking and scheduling, you’ll hit AFAS’s limits quickly. Odoo’s strength is the opposite: everything in one flow, from quote to invoice.
Inventory-heavy businesses
Odoo has advanced warehouse management, barcodes, real-time stock levels and automatic purchasing. In AFAS that’s all a bit less integrated.
eCommerce & retail
With Odoo you run webshop, POS and inventory from one environment. AFAS? It’s mostly focused on the back office, not the sales side. See more about how Odoo handles the e-commerce sector.
Manufacturing and assembly
Odoo Manufacturing shows you exactly what needs to be produced when, what raw materials you need, and what’s already on hand. In AFAS this is often an external solution or workaround. Read more about Odoo in the manufacturing sector.
And what about payroll?
Yes, AFAS scores a point here. Payroll is fully integrated - handy if you want to keep that in-house. Odoo doesn’t (yet) have native payroll, but it offers integrations and easy import options with the most-used tools - Nmbrs, Loket, Exact.
What I learned
Sometimes you need to walk away from something to see what you really need. For me that was AFAS. Solid? Sure. But not the platform that takes a modern SMB further. Weighing more options? Our ERP comparison hub puts all the alternatives side by side.
With Odoo I felt: this is what we were looking for back then - in that company, and honestly in the company before it too.
I made it my mission to help other entrepreneurs make the right choice. And honestly? Every time I see a client thrive on Odoo, I’m glad I made the switch.
Stuck between AFAS and Odoo? Let me know. I’ll show you in 20 minutes what’s possible - no fluff, just how it is.
Further reading: Is your ERP ready for retirement? · Top 10 Odoo partners in the Netherlands compared · What does Odoo cost?