Looking for an Odoo CPQ or product configurator?
There are three shapes of Odoo CPQ: a module you install in Odoo, an external platform you integrate beside it, or an API-only layer that installs nothing. Below, the real options side by side, honestly scored - including ours, CPQ Builder.
Odoo Gold Partner · Amsterdam · makers of CPQ Builder
What is the best CPQ / product configurator for Odoo?
It depends on how much you want inside your Odoo. For deep, native CPQ built as an Odoo module, AktivCPQ is the strongest App Store option and CodeCPQ a fast module-based alternative. For a rich standalone configurator that integrates from outside, Elfsquad and Mercura (formerly Merkato) are capable but pricey and add a second system. If you want a configurator that writes native Odoo sale orders, bills of materials and manufacturing orders without installing any module in your Odoo, CPQ Builder is the API-only option - upgrade-safe and with no add-on to maintain. Odoo’s built-in variants only work for simple cases, without rules or parametric pricing.
The Odoo CPQ options, honestly scored
We make CPQ Builder, so we are not neutral about what we build. But the differences below are about delivery model, not opinion: what gets installed in your Odoo, who maintains it, and whether it writes native records.
| Option | Type | Installed in your Odoo? | Native SO → BOM → MO | Upgrade-safe | Visual / 3D | Price | Short verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPQ BuilderOur pick | API-only SaaS | No, nothing installed | Yes, native | Yes, no module | 3D + AR (Growth) | from €99/mo | Best when you want a configurator without putting code in your Odoo |
| AktivCPQ | Odoo App Store module | Yes, a module | Yes, native | Module to maintain per upgrade | Limited | License + setup | Strong native CPQ, but a module you install and carry |
| CodeCPQ | Odoo module, self-hosted | Yes, a module | Yes, native | Module to maintain | Limited | License | Fast and module-based; explicitly not SaaS |
| Elfsquad | External CPQ platform | No, separate system | Via integration | Not applicable | Strong | Premium | Powerful standalone CPQ; a second system to integrate and pay for |
| Mercura | External CPQ platform | No, separate system | Via integration | Not applicable | Good | Premium | Capable external configurator (ex-Merkato); integration plus premium pricing |
| Odoo native | Built-in variants | Yes, standard | Yes, basic | Yes | No | Included | Fine for simple variants; no rules engine or parametric pricing |
Not sure Odoo fits your setup?
Skip the guesswork. In a free 30-minute scan a senior consultant maps your processes onto Odoo - and tells you straight if it is not the right move.
Odoo Gold Partner · no sales pitch · reply within 1 working day
Which option fits which situation?
Briefly per option, so you can shorten the shortlist:
CPQ Builder
Strongest when you want made-to-order configuration that drives production, without installing a module in your Odoo. It writes native sale orders, a bill of materials built from the unique combination, and the manufacturing order, through the standard Odoo API. Nothing in Odoo to maintain across upgrades, and uninstall is a button. It is the API-only successor to our own older Flexible BOM App Store module.
AktivCPQ (Aktiv Software)
A mature, native Odoo CPQ module with a deep rules and pricing engine, strong for manufacturers with very complex option trees. The trade-off is the module itself: you install it in your Odoo and carry it through every upgrade, and it needs at least Odoo.sh or self-hosting.
CodeCPQ
A performance-focused Odoo CPQ module that runs on your own Odoo server and is explicitly not SaaS. Logical if you specifically want everything inside Odoo and self-hosted; same module-maintenance trade-off.
Elfsquad
A strong standalone CPQ platform with rich visual configuration that integrates with Odoo from the outside. Powerful for complex sales, but a second system to integrate, maintain and pay for at a premium.
Mercura (formerly Merkato)
A capable external sales configurator with an Odoo integration. Same shape as Elfsquad: a separate system beside Odoo rather than native records inside it.
What CPQ Builder does, and where it lands in Odoo
CPQ Builder is the configurator layer; Odoo stays the system of record. Each step writes a native Odoo record through the standard API:
| In the configurator | In your Odoo |
|---|---|
| A configured product | A native sale order line, no custom module |
| Options and compatibility rules | A product variant per unique combination |
| Live price | Odoo pricelists and margin rules |
| Confirmed quote | An mrp.bom built from the unique combination, with operations, work centres and subcontracting |
| Production | A manufacturing order via Odoo MRP (Make-to-Order) |
| 3D preview | A GLB/glTF viewer with AR on the product page (Growth) |
| Uninstall | One click, your Odoo stays standard |
Three shapes of Odoo CPQ
Almost every Odoo CPQ option is one of three shapes, and the shape matters more than any single feature. One: an App Store module (AktivCPQ, CodeCPQ) that lives inside your Odoo database - native, but installed code you maintain through every upgrade, and unavailable on Odoo Online Standard. Two: an external platform (Elfsquad, Mercura) that sits beside Odoo and integrates in - powerful and visual, but a second system to run and pay for. Three: an API-only layer (CPQ Builder) that installs nothing and writes native Odoo records from outside. Start by deciding which shape you want; the feature comparison comes after.
The case for installing nothing
A configurator module is code in your Odoo. It can conflict with other modules, it has to be re-tested against every Odoo version, and on Odoo Online Standard you cannot install it at all. CPQ Builder takes the opposite route: it talks to Odoo through the standard external API, so your Odoo stays vanilla. Upgrades from Odoo 18 to 19 to 20 do not wait on add-on compatibility, there is no module to maintain, and uninstalling is a single button. For a mid-sized manufacturer that values a clean, upgrade-safe Odoo, that is the whole argument.
Does it still build the BOM?
Yes, and this is the part people assume an external configurator gives up. When a quote is confirmed, CPQ Builder writes a bill of materials built entirely from the unique combination the customer chose, with operations, work centres and subcontracting, and Odoo MRP turns it into a manufacturing order. It is the API-only successor to our own Flexible BOM module: the same native result, no module in your Odoo.
Honest about where we are not the best fit
If your priority is photorealistic 3D and AR as the centre of the buying experience, a visual-first platform like Elfsquad or a dedicated 3D configurator goes deeper on rendering than our viewer does. For a larger company with the budget for deep visual/3D configuration, a platform like Twikit is the high-end route - we have integrated it for an enterprise client - though it carries more cost and maintenance than a mid-sized manufacturer typically needs. And if you want everything physically inside Odoo as installed code, a native module like AktivCPQ is the more literal answer. CPQ Builder wins when the goal is native configure-to-manufacturing without a module, at SMB pricing. When a deeper bespoke build is genuinely needed, we do that too, as your Odoo Gold Partner.
Curious about realistic hours, cost and timelines? See the Odoo implementation benchmark →
Frequently asked questions about Odoo CPQ
What is the best CPQ for Odoo?
There is no single best; it depends on the delivery model you want. AktivCPQ is the strongest native App Store module, Elfsquad and Mercura are the strongest external platforms, and CPQ Builder is the API-only option that installs nothing in your Odoo while still writing native sale orders, bills of materials and manufacturing orders.
What is the difference between a CPQ module and CPQ Builder?
A CPQ module (AktivCPQ, CodeCPQ) is code installed inside your Odoo database, which you maintain through every upgrade and cannot run on Odoo Online Standard. CPQ Builder installs nothing: it uses Odoo’s standard external API to write native records, so your Odoo stays standard and uninstalling is one click.
How does CPQ Builder compare to Elfsquad or Mercura?
Elfsquad and Mercura (formerly Merkato) are powerful standalone configurator platforms that integrate with Odoo from the outside, at premium pricing. CPQ Builder is Odoo-first and API-only: it writes native sale orders, bills of materials and manufacturing orders directly, from 99 euro a month, with no second system to run.
Does CPQ Builder need a custom Odoo module?
No. It adds an inherited view to your Odoo product page through the standard external API. Nothing is installed in Odoo, upgrades stay clean, and uninstalling is one click. It needs the Odoo Custom plan, Odoo.sh or self-hosted Enterprise, because Odoo gates its external API to those.
Can an Odoo CPQ generate the bill of materials and manufacturing order?
Yes. A configured quote becomes a bill of materials and, via Odoo MRP, a manufacturing order. CPQ Builder builds that BOM from the unique combination the customer configured, with operations, work centres and subcontracting - the same result as a native module, without installing one.
See which CPQ shape fits your product
Book a 30-minute demo and we will look at your product, your Odoo and your storefronts, and recommend the right shape - even when that is not CPQ Builder. As an Odoo Gold Partner we also build the bespoke parts.