Customizing Odoo: Studio on SaaS or Odoo.sh
How far you can adapt Odoo without leaving the standard cloud, and when a project genuinely needs Odoo.sh. Studio solves more than most people think.
On SaaS, Odoo Studio already customizes a great deal: fields, views, automations and reports. Odoo.sh is only needed when you have to touch code or the core of a module such as the point of sale.
The right question is not «open or closed?», but how far does Studio get for this particular case?
The three levels
Standard SaaS
- Odoo as it ships, configured around your operation.
- Fast start, cheaper infrastructure.
- Backups and maintenance handled by Odoo.
Studio
- Custom fields and views without touching the server.
- Automations and business rules.
- Custom QWeb reports.
- Delivered through temporary access, with nothing installed.
Odoo.sh
- Custom modules and your own code.
- Changing the core of the POS or other modules.
- Third-party connectors and Git pipelines.
- Staging environments before production.
What each path solves
| Requirement | SaaS + Studio | Odoo.sh |
|---|---|---|
| Custom fields, views and flows | Yes | Yes |
| Automations and business rules | Yes | Yes |
| Custom reports (QWeb) | Yes | Yes |
| Installable modules and custom code | No | Yes |
| Changing point-of-sale code | No | Yes |
| Third-party connectors at code level | Limited | Broad |
Where the real boundary sits
Studio covers almost all functional customization without leaving SaaS. The limit shows up when you need to install a module, write code or modify the core of an app — the classic case being the internal behaviour of the point of sale. There, and only there, does the project need Odoo.sh.
The cost of Odoo users is identical on both paths: the difference is in infrastructure and in the level of development, not in licences.
Recurring costs specific to Odoo.sh
Three line items the standard cloud simply never bills you for.
Workers
The processes that serve your users. Billed per worker per month, and Odoo suggests sizing around one for every 25 users.
Storage
The instance disk, with no free GB to start. Both the database and the backups count, and it is billed per GB per month.
Staging branches
Every staging branch you keep alive is billed monthly. It is exactly what lets you test a change before it reaches production.
We deliberately do not copy figures here: rates change and the final amount depends on sizing. The current ones live on odoo.sh. On SaaS none of these three concepts exists — the standard cloud is not billed by workers, GB or staging.
See odoo.sh pricingHow to choose
SaaS + Studio is enough when…
- The adaptation is about fields, views, flows or reports.
- You want automations on top of standard apps.
- Starting fast and cheap is the priority.
You need Odoo.sh when…
- There will be custom modules or your own code.
- The internal behaviour of the POS will change.
- You integrate third parties at code level or marketplaces.
Which of the two is your case?
Tell us what you need to adapt and we will tell you whether Studio solves it or the project has to move up to Odoo.sh — even when the answer is the cheaper one for you.