Tim Kieft MSc

Build your own software with AI? Why the smartest entrepreneurs still buy

If anyone can build their own software with AI, do you still need standard software? Fifteen years ago I heard the same question about the cloud. My answer: buy what everyone has, build what nobody has.

We delivered the best Odoo implementation project in the Netherlands

Radical Fanatics wins the Top Project Award 2026: the best Odoo implementation project of the past year among Dutch partners, for our implementation at IDD Parts. After the award for best starting partner of Europe in 2023, this is the second award from Odoo itself.

Sorry SAP, but the floor goes to Odoo

Late 2024 I drove along the A2 past the SAP office in Den Bosch and saw on the windows: "For rent: 2 floors could be yours". Almost two years later those floors are still listed online. On a market that is shifting, and what that means for your ERP choice.

ERP projects rarely fail on the software (and often on this)

My first ERP project started with cake and a planning in Excel, and stranded on governance. After 90+ Odoo implementations we see the same pattern: the software is rarely the problem, the project is. These are the four pitfalls and how to avoid them.

5 reasons not to choose Odoo

An Odoo partner telling you when not to choose Odoo? Exactly. Five situations in which we advise against, postpone or refer elsewhere - from our own experience. Because the most expensive ERP decision is not the wrong choice, but years of hesitating.

The best software for installation companies (2026): a comparison

Syntess Atrium, AFAS, Exact, OpusFlow, Simple-Simon, 4PS or Odoo with RogerDone? Seven packages for installation and field-service companies in the Dutch market: work orders, engineer planning, quoting, projects, and what happens when your company outgrows its vertical package.

Contract management software: which of the three problems do you actually have?

Three different products get sold as contract management software: a contract register, recurring billing, and full contract lifecycle management. They are a factor of twenty apart in price. This is how to work out which one you need, where Odoo fits and where it does not, and when you should buy a specialist tool instead.

Inventory management software for a small business: spreadsheet, standalone, WMS or your ERP?

Your stock no longer adds up and you are shopping for software. But which category do you actually need? These are the four levels, from spreadsheet to ERP module, with the threshold at which you outgrow each one. Including the difference between stock control and a WMS, and when a standalone package beats your ERP.

Adding a Dutch entity to your ERP: what changes, by country of origin

What changes when a foreign group adds a Dutch entity: BV or branch, the Dutch VAT return and the ICP declaration, the article 23 import deferment you cannot apply for yourself, the chart of accounts, filing, payroll and e-invoicing. Plus what specifically catches out teams coming from the UK, Germany, Belgium, France, the US and China, and what each of those does to the ERP you already run.

Odoo Website or an alternative? Choose on findability, not on convenience

The Odoo Website app is fine for a company site that mainly needs to belong to your backend. But if you genuinely want to be found - SEO, AEO, GEO - you run into its limits. Our current choice: a lightning-fast, lightweight site (we build on Astro) that unlocks parts of Odoo headless, with AI as the build accelerator. This very site is the proof.

Smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0: what it means, what it costs, and where to start

Industry 4.0 is real, and most of what is sold under that banner is not for you yet. This page separates the terms (smart manufacturing, smart factory, IIoT, digital twin, predictive maintenance), gives a five-step maturity ladder, shows with an interactive OEE calculator why measurement comes before intelligence, and says plainly which steps pay off for a mid-sized manufacturer and which do not.

How many apps does Odoo have, and which are they? (2026)

Odoo has 78 official apps, counted in the Apps menu of a current Odoo database in July 2026, across 13 categories. This page gives the full breakdown per category, explains why sources variously claim 40, 60 or 80 (only one of those is simply out of date), covers the 80,000+ App Store total, free versus paid, and the number that actually matters: how many you really need.

Manufacturing software: the categories explained, and which ones you actually need

ERP, MRP, MES, APS, WMS, PLM, QMS, CAM: eight categories of manufacturing software that overlap, compete and get sold as each other. This page maps what each one does, what it does not do, where they overlap, and which a mid-sized manufacturer genuinely needs - with our verdict on one integrated system versus best-of-breed.

Subscription management software: dedicated tool or inside your ERP?

More and more companies earn recurring revenue: rentals, service contracts, SaaS, coffee subscriptions, advertising screens. Dedicated subscription software promises a lot, but cuts your process in two: the contract in one system, invoicing and accounting in another. How Odoo Subscriptions solves that in one environment - and when a specialised tool genuinely wins.

Production scheduling software: capacity, sequence, and the hours you do not have

Planning decides what to make and order; scheduling decides when it runs, on which machine, in what order. This page separates the two, explains finite versus infinite capacity, shows with an interactive capacity check why planning at full utilisation guarantees late deliveries, and walks through choosing production scheduling software - including when your ERP already covers it.

Warehouse management software: can Odoo handle your warehouse?

Considering Odoo for your warehouse? Odoo has a full WMS core: barcode scanning, putaway rules, storage categories, removal strategies (FIFO/FEFO), reordering rules and lot and best-before tracing. This page shows what Odoo does and does not do as a warehouse system, when it is enough and when you need a dedicated WMS, with examples from a finishing and coating company and a fresh-produce grower.

MES vs MRP vs ERP: the three layers of manufacturing software (and how Odoo unites them)

MRP plans, MES executes, ERP processes the consequences. They are not competitors but three layers, each with its own question and its own clock. This page puts them side by side, shows when you need which layer, and why it matters in Odoo that they sit on the same database. Including a diagnostic that tells you in five questions which layer your situation calls for.

MRP software explained: the calculation, the limits, and how to choose one

An MRP system answers three questions: what do we make, how much do we need, and when do we order it. This page shows the netting calculation an MRP run actually performs (with an interactive version you can try), explains where MRP ends and ERP or MES begins, and walks through choosing MRP software - including when a spreadsheet is still the right answer.

What is a MES (Manufacturing Execution System)? Functions, Odoo and how to choose MES software

A MES drives and records your production at the moment it happens: which operation is running, how long it takes, how much scrap there is and whether the quality check passed. This page explains what a MES does, how it relates to ERP and MRP, what Odoo Shop Floor covers, and how to choose MES software: vendor categories, the eight criteria that decide it, real cost, and when you do not need one.

Cost price calculation: direct and indirect costs, and how to spread them (with calculator)

A cost price is direct costs plus an allocated share of the indirect costs. The art is in that allocation: how do you spread overhead fairly across your products? This pillar explains the markup method, the cost-centre method and ABC, plus absorption versus variable costing, and how to capture it in Odoo. With an interactive calculator that builds up your cost price per unit.

Job costing: from estimate to actual cost (with calculator)

Job costing shows what an order, project or production run actually cost, compared to your estimate. This pillar explains how to set up job costing, how to break the difference down into volume, budget and material variance, and how to automate it in Odoo. Includes an interactive calculator that works out the variance by cause for you.

Manufacturing accounting in Odoo: work in progress, job costing and product cost that reconcile on your balance sheet

From estimate to job costing: how to post material, machine hours and overhead surcharges per production step to work in progress (WIP) in Odoo, settle it against a standard cost and reveal the volume and budget variance. In this video (10 min) we walk through the entire posting flow, from work order to a reconciling trial balance - plus the terminology (applied-overhead account, cost type, cost centre, cost object) and where standard Odoo stops.

The Odoo Success Pack: when it works, and when to call a partner instead

Request a demo at Odoo and a Success Pack of around 50 hours often lands on the table quickly. Sometimes that is exactly enough. Often it is not. A breakdown of how the pack works, who it genuinely fits, and where it strains in practice.

Odoo implementation checklist: 26 checkpoints from preparation to go-live

Not 30 loose tips, but the order that makes an implementation predictable: 7 phases, 26 checkpoints, from appointing your project lead to closing the project after the buffer period. Free to use, also as a PDF - no form in front of it.

Digital work orders: what belongs on one, what an app costs and when to look further

Most field-service companies went digital long ago - with a standalone work-order app. That killed the paper docket book, but not the retyping: the order sits in the app, the invoice in another system. This is what belongs on a work order, when a standalone app suffices, and the moment the order should be the start of your invoice.

What is CRM? Meaning, what a CRM system does and when you need one

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management: one place where your customers, touchpoints and sales opportunities come together. This is what a CRM system concretely does, the difference with ERP, the well-known examples side by side - and the tipping point where a standalone CRM starts to hurt.

Odoo alternatives: by process, by sector and open source - compared

Anyone searching "Odoo alternatives" is comparing point solutions per process, looking for an industry specialist, or doubting a quote. Here are all three answers: the point-solution alternatives per process (revealing what Odoo actually covers), the sector specialists that sometimes genuinely win, and the open-source alternatives nobody dares to name.

What is a key user? The role that makes or breaks your ERP implementation

A key user is the employee who represents their department during an ERP implementation: they know the process, test the system and later train their colleagues. This is what the role involves, how much time it takes, how it differs from project lead and application management - and how to pick the right people.

What is an ERP system? Meaning, examples and when you need one

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning: one system in which your core processes - sales, purchasing, stock, accounting - work together on one data model. This is what that means in practice, seven well-known examples compared, the signals that you are ready for one, and when you are not.

How long does an Odoo implementation take? Three months standard, then everything adds up

A standard implementation stands in about three months. After that, everything adds up: users, modules like eCommerce and Manufacturing, custom work, integrations and data migration. This is what really drives the timeline, why the biggest accelerator is a person, and how to count back from 1 January.

EDI integration with a large retailer: no EDI, no customer

Anyone who wants to supply a large supermarket chain soon discovers that EDI is not a wish but an entry requirement. Three messages, three parties, and a retailer that tests your connection itself. This is how it works, why there is no generic EDI connection, and why you start here.

Selling without your own warehouse: outsourced fulfilment and how to connect it to Odoo

No warehouse of your own does not mean no stock administration. Your logistics provider picks and ships, but you remain responsible for what the books say. This is what stays in Odoo, what you integrate, and why an integration is rarely your first step.

Promo discounts and annual agreements: why your retail margin belongs at the top of the P&L

Supplying large retailers comes with two margin eaters: promo discounts and annual contributions. Most companies book them under marketing costs - and so never see their real margin per product. This is why they belong against your revenue, and how to set that up in Odoo.

From Excel to Odoo: why even companies with tens of millions in revenue still run on spreadsheets

An established trading company, tens of millions in revenue, a site in China and one in the Netherlands, supplying large retailers - and still everything runs in Excel and Google Sheets. It is not a size problem. This is when spreadsheets start to slow you down, what they silently cost, and what the move to Odoo looks like.

International accounting with Odoo: one group, multiple countries, and the Chinese ledger (l10n_cn, fapiao, Golden Tax)

A foreign entity raises one question: does that country's accounting run in Odoo, or do you keep it local and connect it to the group? Multi-company, fiscal localisation, bank connections and consolidation, with the Chinese ledger worked out in full: what l10n_cn covers, how fapiao and Golden Tax fit in, and where OCA modules step in.

PIM software and Odoo: when product data belongs in a shell around it

When Odoo's standard product model no longer suffices - thousands of items each with a complete dossier - you do not build PIM inside Odoo, but as a shell around it. With one hard rule: the sync runs one way only. This is the architecture, why syncing back and forth rebuilds the chaos, and where the line is.

Odoo for leasing and rental companies: contracts, assets and a portal where customers manage their own fleet

Leasing and rental are not ordinary sales: they are about contracts, assets, depreciation, maintenance and damage across years. Loose packages each cover a piece. This is how Odoo brings leasing and rental companies onto one platform, plus an Updoo customer portal where lessees manage their own fleet.

Odoo hosting and data residency for international companies: Europe, Singapore or China?

For an international company the big hosting question is where your data lives and who can reach it quickly and legally. Odoo.sh offers 7 fixed regions, none in China. This is how you choose between Europe, Singapore or Mumbai and self-hosting, including when self-hosting inside China is the only route.

Odoo for procurement, sourcing and import companies: from 173 Excel columns to one product model

Sourcing and import companies work between two worlds: factories in Asia and demanding retailers in Europe. We recently made a solution assessment for such a company where a single article row held 173 Excel columns. This is how Odoo brings the chain from RFQ to retailer onto one platform, how PIM, EDI and portals come together on one data model, and why PIM is the heart, built as an Updoo shell.

Choosing the best Odoo-Shopify connector: what the comparisons leave out

There is no universally best Odoo-Shopify connector, and Odoo does not build one itself. An in-depth decision guide based on the real apps, their prices and reviews, plus the architecture questions most comparisons skip: who owns the sync logic, REST or GraphQL, and what happens at the next upgrade.

Connect Shopify to Odoo: the complete guide

Shopify sells, Odoo runs your business. But the moment stock, orders, returns and accounting have to add up across channels, the integration becomes decisive. A deep guide to the trade-offs, the choices and the why: from data strategy and stock patterns to connector choice and go-live.

The most-asked Odoo questions (answered from our projects)

We gathered the questions that come up most on the Odoo forum, Stack Overflow and in our own projects - from "what does it really cost?" to "why does my customisation break on upgrade?". Here are the answers.

Odoo Community vs Enterprise: when does free cost more than paid?

Community or Enterprise is not a pricing question but an ownership question: do you make yourself dependent on licences, or on technology? A decision guide based on user discussions, Odoo documentation and our analysis of 2,500+ Odoo reviews.

Odoo reviews: what do users really say?

We analysed over 2,500 verified Odoo reviews plus hundreds of forum questions and discussions. This is what users truly value, where it hurts, and the common thread almost no one names.

Odoo hosting: Online, Odoo.sh or self-hosting?

Beyond the choice between Community and Enterprise, you also choose where Odoo runs: 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. A overview with diagram and table.

All 749 Odoo partners of Europe analysed: 96% work only in their home country

We mapped the complete European Odoo partner landscape: 749 firms across 21 countries. Only 28 are present in more than one country, and just 8 in three or more. What that means when your company has entities across borders.

The most forward-thinking Odoo partners in Europe: 52 scored on 7 measures

We scored 52 European Odoo partners on own products, method, knowledge-sharing, pricing transparency, AI, onboarding tools and awards. No partner is best at everything - the leader changes per measure. Explore the interactive ranking.

Why companies really switch ERP: we analysed 300+ switchers

We analysed over 300 Dutch companies looking for a new ERP. These are the five most common reasons to switch - and the one thread almost nobody names out loud.

Implementing Odoo directly or through a partner? An assessment

Odoo is growing fast, but the numbers show where it gets tricky: huge lead volume, mostly micro-businesses, and not a single public figure on retention. What does that mean for your choice between Odoo direct or a partner?

Odoo Studio: rarely the solution, often the start of the problem

Odoo Studio promises quick changes without code. But on upgrades it often breaks - fields disappear from views, inherited views get reset - and combined with custom code it gets dangerous. Why we prefer customisation you can isolate.

Switching Odoo partner? How to move safely to a new Odoo partner

Not happy with your Odoo partner? Learn how to switch safely to a new Odoo partner without losing your database, licences, customisation or progress.

Compare ERP systems: put them side by side yourself

Which ERP fits your company? There is no universal winner. We built an interactive comparator that puts AFAS, Exact, Dynamics, SAP, NetSuite and Odoo head to head - and this guide shows what actually matters.

From SAP to Odoo: what a migration actually looks like

Not a list of alternatives, but the move itself. How we run a SAP-to-Odoo migration, what comes across and what does not, what goes wrong - and a TCO comparison of staying versus switching.

Best ERP for metal companies: Odoo, Ridder iQ, MKG, ISAH and Business Central compared

There is no single best ERP for metal companies. A comparison of Odoo, Ridder iQ, MKG, ISAH, Bemet and Business Central - with a choice table per type of business, when Odoo is and is not the smart pick, and how to decide with a fit-gap.

Exact Globe Next is end-of-life: what now?

The last full service pack for Exact Globe Next shipped in March 2026. After that: no updates, bugfixes or security patches. You are migrating either way - the question is whether you move to Globe+ or use this moment to choose once, properly.

What does an Odoo implementation cost in 2026?

An Odoo implementation costs roughly €1,000 to €3,000 per user as a one-off. A manufacturer with 15 users and full scope usually lands between €25,000 and €30,000. This guide explains what drives the price and why it drops per user as you grow.

In three months, AI changed our company

Last night at my entrepreneurs' club, within ten minutes the talk was about AI. At our company that wave is no longer a forecast - it is here. What shifted, how we do it, and why we pass the gains to the client.

AI in manufacturing: from hours of work to minutes

At Agrowteam, AI turns a complex bill of materials from Inventor into an Odoo BOM - work that used to take hours, now done in minutes. How it works, where else it pays off on the shop floor, and when to wait.

Custom software just got affordable for mid-sized companies

For years, the software a mid-sized company wanted and the software it could afford were two different lists. AI is bringing them together, and that changes what you can do with Odoo.

Odoo for NGOs: why grant management is the key

NGOs run on idealism and accountability in equal measure. Odoo can be that foundation - but only with a grant management layer that thinks the way an NGO thinks.

AI for cultural organisations: less reporting, more doing

A grant application of forty pages. Half of it sits in last year's applications. At NIMD, AI puts that ready. How this and other patterns work for cultural organisations and non-profits, with togrant.com and concrete examples from our work.

When your checkout needs more than standard Odoo POS

Standard Odoo POS covers most retail: scan, pay, print, stock updated live. This guide covers when you need age checks, deposits or cross-channel loyalty, and when a dedicated till is the simpler choice.

AI in hospitality: time back for your guests

An inbox with reservations, supplier receipts, guest questions and reviews - all mixed up. AI sorts it for you. A demand forecast on your own sales. Patterns that small hospitality businesses can now use, thanks to cheaper custom work.

A self-service portal for your B2B customers, on Odoo?

Odoo has a B2B portal built in: per-customer pricing, payment terms, ordering against quotes. This guide covers what you get for free, what customers actually ask for, and where custom work pays off.

AI in retail: only useful when your stock adds up

Three tills, a webshop, and on Saturday night three different stock figures. That is not an AI problem - that is an 'one-stock-figure' problem. Once you have that, AI can do a lot. Three patterns that work, and a few that do not yet.

Can Odoo really run your production floor?

Odoo plans production well out of the box. The floor itself needs a screen built for gloves and three-second glances. This guide covers what's standard, where the gap is, and how advanced planning fits.

AI in professional services: one sentence to your planning

'Dominique is leaving, move all his ecommerce tasks to Mitchel.' That is not an email to a colleague - it is a command to Hypergantt. AI in services is concrete, not abstract. With Hypergantt, Jobse groep and NIMD as examples.

What does Odoo customisation cost in 2026?

A focused custom Odoo module typically runs €4,000 to €15,000 and goes live in one to three weeks. This guide breaks down the price ranges, what drives them, and where AI has changed the maths.

Is Odoo's webshop good enough, or do you need something custom?

For most mid-sized webshops, standard Odoo eCommerce is enough, and that's the point. This guide helps you tell when it fits, when targeted custom work pays off, and when to go fully headless.

AI in wholesale: where it really earns its keep

A PDF order that books itself in Odoo. A price list built in four hours instead of four days. A B2B portal that proposes the right reorder. Four patterns we already have running for wholesalers.

AI for your webshop: four things that already work

A product configurator on your Odoo webshop for less than a tenth of a comparable off-the-shelf platform. Product copy in three languages that does not get stuck. Four things AI does today, with examples from our own practice.

From website visitor to concrete ERP lead

An ordinary contact form qualifies nothing. What if the website itself ran the first step of the sales conversation? A look at interactive lead capture with Updoo - and the ERP Reality Scanner as a concrete example.

We are now an Odoo Gold Partner

As of July 2025, Radical Fanatics is officially an Odoo Gold Partner - a title that puts us among the top Odoo partners in the Netherlands. But while others grow in headcount, we deliberately choose to grow in quality.

The best Odoo partner in the Netherlands? Top 10 compared (2025)

Who is the best Odoo partner in the Netherlands? Compare the top 10 interactively on references, status, price level and SME focus - every sort crowns a different winner. With cost, segment, sectors and references per partner, 2025 edition.

Subcontracting in Odoo ERP with traceability based on lots and serial numbers

Video walkthrough on outsourcing production while maintaining full traceability through lots and serial numbers - all in standard Odoo, no custom development.

Why I left AFAS for Odoo - and never looked back

A few years ago I sold my cloud-software company and got my first taste of AFAS. Solid for finance, but something was missing. A year later I found that 'something' in Odoo.

Is your ERP ready for retirement? Time to switch - without the headaches.

Your ERP has served you for years, but it no longer works. Or you run a patchwork of separate tools. Five signs it is time for something new - and how to do it without the nightmare.

Why civil-engineering firms finally need to get their software sorted

In the world of cables, pipes and excavators, it's all about speed and just-doing-it. Without a good system, those metres get lost in stray work orders, double-booked schedules and hours that never get logged.

Why switching to S/4HANA isn't always the right call - and the best alternatives

SAP users being 'nudged' toward S/4HANA face a real decision: go with SAP's new platform, or look elsewhere. The main alternatives - NetSuite, Dynamics, Acumatica, Odoo - compared.

G.O.D. (Getting Odoo Done) - a success formula for Odoo implementations, with a smile

For many entrepreneurs, implementing software is like assembling a motor with only an IKEA manual. Three principles to make it faster and more enjoyable: Getting Odoo Done.

Why people with an ownership mindset are indispensable in SMB

Every company has a few. People who take responsibility without being told what to do. What makes them indispensable - and how they make the difference.

I hate project management

Timeboxing. Agile. Leverage. Touchbase. Bullshit bingo. And yet we run thirty IT projects a year and they mostly go well. How that's possible - and the six points that make the difference.

Keeping projects on track: how to avoid surprises

In every project there comes a point when you wonder: are we still on track? Without clear visibility on progress, even the best-planned project can run into trouble. Oversight is the backbone of success.

Want fast progress? Here's how expert meetings solve the biggest project problems

You're deep in a project. Things look fine, until you hit a wall where you simply lack the knowledge. That's the moment for an expert meeting - not a broad discussion, but a focused session.

Without a thorough analysis, forget it: how a fit-gap analysis saves your project

What is a fit-gap analysis and how do you run one without months of overhead? The pragmatic approach that keeps mid-market projects and ERP implementations from overrunning on cost and landing on the wrong choices.

Fanatics crowned best starting partner of Europe at the 2023 Odoo Awards

During the award ceremony at Odoo Experience 2023, Radical Fanatics was named best starting partner of Europe. A prize for a new team showing things could be done differently - and the starting point of everything that followed.