Compare the three Odoo hosting options from Odoo documentation: what each allows, who runs what, which editions fit, where data sits, what costs to expect and how to move between them.
These are the three Odoo hosting options, and the choice turns mostly on one question: do you need code that Odoo does not ship? Odoo Online is hosted and managed by Odoo and does not accept custom modules. Odoo.sh is Odoo's cloud platform, with your own Git repository, staging builds and shell access. On-premise means you run Odoo on your own server. This guide compares Odoo Online vs Odoo.sh vs on-premise using Odoo's 19.0 documentation, as of October 2026.
In short
Odoo's pricing page describes Odoo Online and Enterprise, on Odoo.sh or on-premise, as the same software with different hosting and infrastructure. What changes is who runs the servers and how much freedom you get. The 19.0 and 20.0 documentation read the same on these points when checked on 21 October 2026.
| Option | What it is | Editions and plans |
|---|---|---|
| Odoo Online | Private databases hosted and managed by Odoo, used in a browser | Enterprise. The One App Free and Standard plans are Online only |
| Odoo.sh | Odoo's official cloud platform, with GitHub integration, continuous integration, web shell and SSH access | Enterprise, on a subscription that includes Odoo.sh. Odoo.sh hosting is listed as not included in the plan price |
| On-premise | You install Odoo yourself: packaged installers, source install or Docker | Community (free), or Enterprise with a subscription code |
Community has no hosting from Odoo, so it runs on your own infrastructure. Odoo Community vs Enterprise compares the editions.
| Odoo Online | Odoo.sh | On-premise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom modules | No | Yes, from your GitHub repository | Yes |
| Third-party and Apps Store modules | No | Yes, from a repository added as a submodule | Yes |
| Shell and server access | No, only the database manager | Web shell and SSH to the containers, by user role | Full |
| Version choice | Odoo's rolling release, including intermediate versions found only on Odoo Online | You pick the major version when you create the project | Any version you install |
| Major upgrades | Mandatory on a schedule, with a test upgrade available first | You trigger them and test on staging | You request them, and may stay on a version, which Odoo does not recommend |
| Backups | Daily by Odoo, downloadable | Automatic for production, manual for staging | Yours to schedule, store and restore |
| Staging or test copies | Duplicates for testing, limited in number and lifetime | Staging and development branches | A neutralised duplicate, or your own test server |
The no-code toolbox Studio, an Enterprise app that needs the Custom plan on Odoo Online, works on all three, so "no custom modules" does not mean "no customisation". To weigh a Studio change against a coded module, read Odoo Studio vs custom development. Odoo.sh production keeps seven daily, four weekly and three monthly backups. Odoo Online duplicates expire after 15 days.
| Task | Odoo Online | Odoo.sh | On-premise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Servers, operating system, PostgreSQL | Odoo | Odoo runs the platform | You or your hosting provider |
| Bugfix updates | Odoo | Odoo's source updates weekly by default. Your code updates when you push | You install them |
| Backups and recovery | Odoo, under its cloud SLA | Odoo for production backups | You, including copies off the server and restore tests |
| Monitoring and platform security | Odoo | Odoo monitors the platform. You manage collaborators and code | You |
| Major upgrades | Odoo runs it, automatically at the deadline, so test first | Upgrade platform, after your modules are updated | Upgrade platform or command line, after your modules are updated |
Configuration, data, users and training are yours on all three. Odoo's upgrade service does not cover third-party or in-house modules unless a maintenance subscription does, so read upgrading Odoo with third-party modules before you buy add-ons. Odoo's cloud SLA states availability and backup targets, and Odoo says they are not legally binding.
Self-hosted data sits where your server sits, and you choose the country and provider. For Odoo Online and Odoo.sh, Odoo's privacy policy says databases are hosted in the cloud region closest to the customer, and a change can be requested, subject to availability. Odoo.sh asks you to select a hosting location when you create the project.
The policy lists regions for the Americas, Europe, Asia and Pacific, Oceania, and "Middle East & Southern Asia". For that region it names India and Saudi Arabia as production locations and Europe and Canada as backup locations. It says backup locations cannot be chosen, customers cannot select Odoo's subprocessors, and locations may change within a region. Upgrades run in the production location or on a global upgrade server in Europe. Read the current text on the day you decide.
Whether those locations suit you is a legal question. Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law, supervised by SDAIA, has rules for transferring personal data abroad, and sector rules and customer contracts may add more, so ask a Saudi lawyer. Then ask Odoo in writing:
Self-hosting is not automatically private either: databases sent to Odoo's upgrade platform are kept for a period.
This guide names kinds of cost and leaves out prices, which Odoo changes. How much Odoo costs explains the structure.
| Your situation | Start with | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Small team, standard processes, nobody technical | Odoo Online | No custom or Apps Store modules, so test every needed feature in a trial |
| You need a third-party or custom module and want no servers | Odoo.sh | It needs Git skills and an Enterprise subscription that includes Odoo.sh |
| Budget first, technical staff, Community is enough | On-premise with Community | You carry updates, security and backups, as in installing Odoo on Ubuntu |
| Strict rules on where data and backups sit | On-premise in the country you need, or Odoo's region confirmed in writing | Odoo says you cannot choose backup locations |
| Learning or a pilot | Odoo's free trial or a Community test server | Shared demo databases last only a few hours |
Odoo's hosting page covers each direction. In outline:
Odoo's pricing page suggests leaving Odoo Online for your own server soon after a new stable release. A move and a version upgrade are separate jobs, so do them one at a time and rehearse on a copy. If you may move to Odoo.sh later, Odoo says to create the Odoo Online database from its LTS start page.
Neither wins in general. If standard apps and Studio cover your needs, Odoo Online gives you the least to manage. If you need custom or third-party modules without running servers, Odoo.sh fits.
No. The documentation says Odoo Online is incompatible with custom modules and Odoo Apps Store modules. Use Odoo.sh or your own server, and review each module first with how to choose an Odoo module.
Not according to the documentation. Odoo.sh asks for an Enterprise subscription code and Odoo Online comes with Enterprise plans, so Community is self-hosted.
It requires an Enterprise subscription code that includes Odoo.sh, and the pricing page lists Odoo.sh hosting as not included in the plan price.
Decide first whether you need custom or third-party modules. If you self-host, follow the Ubuntu installation guide, and if you plan add-ons, browse Odoo modules. DevMarket sells modules and does not host Odoo or provide installation services.
An Odoo implementation is a project, not an installation. Follow the phases from scope to go-live, see who does what, decide between a partner and doing it yourself, and use a go-live checklist.
9 min read
Odoo Studio changes Odoo without code; custom modules add code. See what each can do, which edition and hosting allow them, what upgrades mean for both, and how to decide by need.
9 min read
Odoo eCommerce is the shop app that runs on the Odoo Website app. See how it shares data with inventory, invoicing and CRM, how products, prices, payments and delivery work, and how to set up a first store.
9 min read
Every item on DevMarket has a human-reviewed release, an instant licence key and clear update and support terms.