Odoo vs King.
King stops - what now?
King served Dutch trade businesses well for decades, but the clock is now ticking: vendor Bjorn Lunden (formerly King Software) ended support for King Financieel and King Factureren on 31 October 2025, and from 31 October 2026 the software stops working altogether - after that you can only view your data. So the question is not whether to switch, but what to switch to. A like-for-like swap (KING Finance, another bookkeeping package) is the smallest step, but it keeps the patchwork: bookkeeping in one tool, orders, stock and webshop in others. For the trade businesses King was strong in, Odoo is the more interesting move: orders, inventory, purchasing, invoicing, accounting and webshop on one platform. In one line: King's end is forced. What you migrate to is a choice - make it once, and make it count.
- 01 The deadline is real - and closer than it feels Waiting does not improve any option. The earlier you choose, the calmer the migration.
- 02 Like-for-like swap, or a step up? If King was just your books, swap like-for-like. If King ran your trade, a forced migration is the one moment a step up costs no extra disruption.
- 03 Trade and inventory: where King users feel the difference The trade depth that made King good is exactly what Odoo continues - on a platform that keeps developing.
- 04 The patchwork question A forced migration is the cheapest moment to replace the patchwork, not just the package that expired.
- 05 Getting your data out, in time Plan the data export while King still runs normally. That is this year, not next.
At a glance
| Criterion | Odoo | King |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Actively developed, yearly releases | Support ended Oct 2025; stops working 31 Oct 2026 |
| Positioning | Broad ERP / business platform | Dutch accounting and trade software (on-premise heritage) |
| Best fit | SMB / mid-market integrating the whole business | Was: Dutch trade businesses and SMB administration |
| Accounting | Native, on one ledger across the business | Strong and proven - but end-of-life |
| Orders & trade | Native, flowing into stock, purchasing and finance | Historically strong (King ERP for wholesale) |
| Inventory | Multi-warehouse, reservations, valuation, production | Good for its era; no future development |
| eCommerce | Native Website, eCommerce and Portal | Via connectors; no native webshop |
| CRM & service | Native CRM, Helpdesk, Field Service | Not the core |
| Cloud | Browser-first (Odoo Online, Odoo.sh, self-host) | On-premise; successor KING Finance is cloud bookkeeping |
| Migration deadline | n/a | Export your data while it still runs |
| Strongest point | Business-wide coherence on one model | Decades of Dutch trade heritage |
Five questions that decide it
The deadline is real - and closer than it feels
A well-scoped Odoo implementation for a trade business takes weeks to a few months, not years. Starting now leaves room to migrate calmly, test, and go live before the cut-off rather than in a December panic.
Bjorn Lunden ended support on 31 October 2025 and switches King Financieel and Factureren off on 31 October 2026 - after that date the software is read-only. Every King user still running today has months, not years.
Waiting does not improve any option. The earlier you choose, the calmer the migration.
Like-for-like swap, or a step up?
Odoo replaces not just the bookkeeping but the whole operation King supported: orders, stock, purchasing, invoicing and accounting on one data model, with webshop and CRM native when you need them.
The vendor's own successor, KING Finance, is a cloud bookkeeping package - a fine like-for-like swap if bookkeeping is all you used. But many King users ran their trade operation on it; a bookkeeping-only successor keeps orders and stock somewhere else.
If King was just your books, swap like-for-like. If King ran your trade, a forced migration is the one moment a step up costs no extra disruption.
Trade and inventory: where King users feel the difference
In Odoo, stock is a business-wide process: multi-warehouse, reservations, backorders, lot tracking, valuation tied to finance, and the webshop reading the same stock as the sales desk.
King earned its place in Dutch wholesale with solid order and stock administration for its era. That functionality stops developing now - and connectors to modern webshops and platforms get harder, not easier, on software that no longer changes.
The trade depth that made King good is exactly what Odoo continues - on a platform that keeps developing.
The patchwork question
Odoo keeps one source of truth across sales, inventory, purchasing, service and finance, so fewer separate tools and connectors are needed and the numbers reconcile by default.
Around an aging King install there is usually a patchwork already: a separate webshop, Excel for stock decisions, a CRM bolted on. Migrating the bookkeeping alone moves one patch and leaves the rest.
A forced migration is the cheapest moment to replace the patchwork, not just the package that expired.
Getting your data out, in time
We start every migration with a fit-gap and a data plan: master data, open items, history. Phased, with a dry run before go-live - the same approach as our other migrations from legacy Dutch packages.
From 31 October 2026 King is read-only. Exports still work today; the closer to the deadline, the more crowded the migration calendar gets - at every vendor and every partner.
Plan the data export while King still runs normally. That is this year, not next.
Which one fits?
Choose Odoo if…
- King ran more than your books: orders, stock, trade.
- You want orders, inventory, purchasing and accounting on one platform.
- A webshop or B2B portal is part of the picture, or will be.
- You want to replace the patchwork around King, not just the package.
- You want a platform that keeps developing for the next decade.
- You want the migration done once, calmly, before the deadline.
Choose KING Finance (the successor) if…
- You only used King for bookkeeping and invoicing.
- Your operation is small and your processes are simple.
- You want the smallest possible change, fastest.
- Stock, webshop and CRM live happily in other tools.
- Staying within the Bjorn Lunden ecosystem appeals to you.
- A bookkeeping-only cloud package covers your next five years.
The best King alternatives
We build Odoo, so we are not impartial - and we will say so plainly. But an honest overview is the only one worth reading: for pure bookkeeping, Odoo is not the best pick. The difference is how much King did for you.
| Alternative | More than bookkeeping | Switch from King | Cloud | Entry price | Trade-business fit | Short verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OdooTop pick | Yes - orders, stock, webshop, finance | Migration, not like-for-like | Yes | ~€20/user/mo | Strong | Best if you ran your trade on King |
| KING Finance | No, bookkeeping only | Like-for-like | Yes | Low | Weak | Best if you used King for bookkeeping only |
| Exact Online | Partly, bookkeeping + light orders | Migration | Yes | Medium | Reasonable | Strong Dutch accounting, narrower as a platform |
| SnelStart / Moneybird | No, light | Like-for-like | Yes | Low | Weak | Cheap and simple for a small administration |
| AFAS | Yes, broad + HR/payroll | Migration | Yes | High | Reasonable | For larger organisations that also need HR/payroll |
The deadline sets your pace, not your choice
Vendor Bjorn Lunden stopped support for King Financieel and Factureren on 31 October 2025; from 31 October 2026 the software stops working and you can only view your data. A well-scoped migration to a new platform takes weeks to a few months, not years. Choose now and you migrate calmly and go live before the cut-off, instead of a December panic with migration calendars filling up.
Like-for-like, or clean up the patchwork
Around an ageing King install there is usually already a patchwork: a separate webshop, Excel for stock, a bolted-on CRM. Migrating only the bookkeeping moves one patch and leaves the rest. A forced switch is actually the cheapest moment to replace that patchwork, because you are migrating anyway - the extra disruption is minimal.
Why trade businesses end up on Odoo
King earned its place in Dutch wholesale with solid order and stock administration. That depth no longer develops, and links to modern webshops get harder on software that no longer changes. Odoo continues exactly that trade depth - multi-warehouse, reservations, valuation tied to finance - on a platform that keeps developing, with the webshop and CRM native alongside it.
Odoo vs King, frequently asked questions.
Is King really stopping?
What is the best alternative to King?
Can I take my King data to Odoo?
Is KING Finance not the logical successor?
What does switching to Odoo cost?
How fast can we be live before the deadline?
Which King alternative fits a trade business?
Is KING Finance a good alternative?
When exactly does King shut down?
King stops. Your operation should not.
Every King user migrates somewhere in the coming months - the only question is whether you move one package or fix the whole landscape in the same effort. Book a fit-gap call and we will map what King does for you today, what must move before 31 October 2026, and what one Odoo platform would look like for your trade operation.
The most expensive software is the software that 'just works'.
Because the work around it - double entry, Excel checks, waiting time, errors - never shows up on your software invoice. It does land on your P&L, as labour cost and lost hours; you just never add it to the software bill. And the frustration your team feels every day stays completely invisible. Work out what it costs you per year: you can't capture work satisfaction in a spreadsheet. 60 seconds, no sales pitch - just a number that sticks.
Curious about realistic hours, cost and timelines? See the Odoo implementation benchmark →