Odoo updated its Australian pricing on 24 September, coinciding with the launch of Odoo 20 at Odoo Experience in Brussels over the weekend.
Two changes stood out:
- The Custom plan has increased by 23% (for new clients).
- A Light User tier was unveiled, changing both what operational staff cost and who counts as a billable user.
The good news for existing customers is that Odoo's Enterprise Subscription Agreement limits how much renewal prices can rise, typically up to 7% per year.
Here is a breakdown of the new AUD rate card, what existing customers will actually pay and the fine print on Light User.
The new rates* at a glance:
Custom
A$ 80 .00
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$960
- Intro rate (first 12 months) = A$60/mth
- All apps, Agentic AI, Odoo Studio, Odoo.sh / On-Premise, Multi-Company, External API.
Standard
A$ 43 .00
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$516
- Intro rate (first 12 months) = A$34.40/mth
- All apps, hosted on Odoo Online.
No change in the cost from previous year.
Light User
A$ 12 .90
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$154.80
-- This is a new service tier
Custom
A$ 0 .00
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$0
-- Single app + dependencies, unlimited users
Custom
A$ 80 .00
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$960
- Intro rate (first 12 months) = A$60/mth
- All apps, Agentic AI, Odoo Studio, Odoo.sh / On-Premise, Multi-Company, External API.
Standard
A$ 43 .00
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$516
- Intro rate (first 12 months) = A$34.40/mth
- All apps, hosted on Odoo Online.
No change in the cost from previous year.
Light User
A$ 12 .90
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$154.80
- -
- This is a new service tier
Custom
A$ 0 .00
/ month- Annual cost per user = A$0
- -
- Single app + dependencies, unlimited users
* All prices are per user per month on annual billing, excluding GST. Introductory rates apply only to users in a new customer's initial order.
The Custom plan: up 23% (with protection for existing clients)
Odoo attributes this price adjustment to global inflation and the fact that base pricing had remained unchanged for four years.
The company also points to the addition of native Agentic AI execution tools, core performance overhauls and upgraded feature sets bundled directly into the Custom tier as reasons for the increase.
What existing customers will pay at renewal
If you are an existing Odoo Enterprise customer, you are unlikely to face an immediate 23% jump on your Custom licences at your next renewal.
Under Odoo's Enterprise Subscription Agreement, if your charges in the previous term were below the current list price, they can increase by up to 7% per year of that term at renewal.
Therefore on a one-year term, a Custom licence at A$780 a year would rise to no more than A$834.60, not straight to A$960. At that rate, it would take about four annual renewals to reach the new list price.
On a multi-year term, the increase is calculated per year of the term, so the step at renewal can be larger.
One thing not covered by the cap, though:
- New users added during your term are charged at the list price that applies when you add them. For example, new hires who need a Custom licence will cost A$80 per month from day one.
The exact position depends on your own agreement, so check your contract rather than comparing your renewal against the pricing page.
The Light User tier: what it is?
Light User is a new licence for staff who need limited access rather than full ERP capabilities. At A$12.90 per user per month, it costs about 84% less than a Custom licence.
Typical Light User use cases include:
- Warehouse staff running barcode scanners for inventory movements.
- Field technicians viewing planning worksheets or logging timesheets.
- Frontline staff logging into Point of Sale (POS) register sessions.
- General staff submitting leave requests, filing expenses or viewing internal Knowledge pages.
Limitations: Light Users can't access core apps such as Sales, Purchases, Projects or Accounting, can't create products or manage inventory and can't use advanced features reserved for full users. Anyone who needs those still requires a Standard or Custom licence.
Where Light Users save money
In many manufacturing and distribution businesses, some operational staff hold full licences simply to log hours, submit expenses or scan warehouse stock. Moving them from Custom to Light User can yield substantial annual savings.
However before you do that, you should test their permissions against their real day-to-day tasks. Odoo determines whether someone is a Light User from their access rights. Give a Light User any right outside the Light User scope, even a limited one such as Sales "Own Documents" and Odoo automatically treats them as a full user.
This makes access rights a potential billing issue as well as a security one. If a change pushes you over your licensed user count, Odoo allows a 30-day grace period to correct it (before the additional users are billed). As a general rule of thumb, always review access rights whenever someone's role changes.
Where Light Users add cost: employees without logins
Under Odoo's updated Enterprise Agreement, any active record in the Employees app that is not linked to an active user account counts as a Light User.
This matters for businesses that maintain active records for floor staff, seasonal or casual workers or emergency contacts inside the Employees app without granting them system logins. And it is especially so for those running payroll in Odoo.
Each of those employee records now incurs a charge of A$154.80 per year whereas previously, only staff granted backend system login credentials were billable.
What it adds up to: an example
Consider an existing customer: a manufacturer with 150 employees on a one-year term. 40 use Odoo with full Custom licences and the other 110 exist only as payroll records.
|
|
Before renewal |
After renewal (with 7% cap on existing seats) |
|
40 Custom users |
A$31,200 |
A$33,384 (+7% cap applied) |
|
110 employees without logins |
A$0 |
A$17,028 (new Light User rates apply) |
|
Total |
A$31,200 |
A$50,412 |
Figures are illustrative, based on standard list rates and cap provisions. Your renewal quote may differ.
The 7% cap keeps the Custom seat increase to A$2,184 in year one, compared with A$7,200 at full list price. The biggest cost driver, then, is unlinked employee records (aka those without logins).
However, if 10 of those 40 Custom users only scan stock or log timesheets, reclassifying them as Light Users would save A$8,052 per year, more than offsetting the Custom seat increase.
When you will see the change
The new list prices took effect on 24 September for new customers and additional users. For existing customers, changes apply at renewal and are capped as described above.
Recommended action plan
- Check your renewal date and agreement terms: Confirm when your contract renews and whether your agreement includes the per-year renewal cap. Remember that new users are charged at list price from the day you add them.
- Audit your Employees app immediately: Filter by active employee records without linked logins. Archive departed staff but only archive people who are no longer employed or paid, since current employee records support payroll and STP reporting. Archived records aren't counted as Light Users.
- Review access needs for login-less staff: If you are paying the A$12.90 per month Light User fee for their record anyway, consider giving them logins so they can manage their own leave, expenses and attendance.
- Identify seats that could move to Light User: List users who may qualify, test their day-to-day tasks against the Light User limits, then reclassify before your renewal.
- Check whether you need the Custom plan: If your team does not use custom code on Odoo.sh, Odoo Studio or external APIs, evaluate whether switching to the Standard Plan meets your operational requirements.
If you would like to learn more about these new changes and how we can help you optimise your Odoo licence allocation, reach out to our friendly team today.