Introduction
When we speak about CRM with businesses here in Mauritius, the name Odoo comes up a lot—often as one of the first options people mention. It’s understandable. Odoo presents itself as an all-in-one ERP platform, and with a low entry price and plenty of bundled apps, it can seem like a good deal.
But here’s the thing: when it comes to CRM specifically, comparing Odoo CRM to a dedicated platform like Zoho CRM can be misleading. Odoo’s CRM is just one module within a larger ERP ecosystem, whereas Zoho CRM is a standalone, purpose-built CRM platform designed to handle leads, pipelines, contact management, and automation—right out of the box, with minimal setup.
So we decided to take a closer look—especially because we’ve heard from many Mauritian business owners wondering whether Zoho CRM or Odoo CRM is the better choice. To stay objective (we’re Zoho Partners, but we’re keeping it fair), we turned to trusted app review platforms like Capterra and TrustRadius.
We’re Zoho Partners, yes—but we’ve done our best to keep this comparison fair and rooted in reputable sources. If there’s something important we’ve missed about Odoo CRM, let us know—we’ll gladly update.
1. Why Comparing Odoo and Zoho CRM Can Be Misleading
Odoo’s CRM is just one of many apps bundled inside an ERP suite. At first glance, that might seem like great value—especially when you’re comparing app counts or entry-level pricing. But what you’re getting is a generic module designed to work alongside inventory or accounting—not a tool engineered specifically to drive sales efficiency.
Zoho CRM, on the other hand, is built from the ground up as a true CRM. It’s designed to help sales and marketing teams work better, faster, and smarter—right out of the box. That matters a lot when you need your CRM to start delivering value without months of rework. And you see it in the review with Capterra’s feature scores showing Zoho CRM consistently ahead in the areas that matter most for a sales team:
- Contact Management: 4.4 vs 4.1
- Lead Management: 4.4 vs 4.1
- Sales Pipeline Management: 4.3 vs 4.0
Want to give Zoho CRM a try? You can actually get a free Zoho CRM License for up to 3 users, which is a great way to start with CRM. Get it here.
And beyond the numbers, we regularly hear this firsthand—many of the Mauritian businesses we work with mention how surprisingly intuitive Zoho CRM is, even for teams who aren’t very technical. The platform feels accessible and logical, which makes adoption much smoother across sales teams.
2. Zoho CRM scores significantly higher on feature-fit
Because Odoo CRM is part of a broader ERP setup, getting it to function like a full-fledged CRM often means extra work—and extra cost. It’s not plug-and-play.
FEATURE FIT
Zoho CRM at 84% : Odoo CRM… 68%
With Odoo, many features like sales automation or advanced analytics are in separate apps that need to be configured or require custom development. That can turn a low upfront cost into a long project timeline. In contrast, Zoho CRM gives you sales automation, lead scoring, analytics, AI tools and many more—right out of the box.
And the review backs this up: Based on over 15,000 CRM reviews, Capterra’s feature-fit scores rate Zoho CRM at 84%. Odoo CRM? Just 68%.
*These higher scores reflect what many businesses experience: Zoho CRM Zoho CRM is more robust and ready to use for core CRM functions. *
Below are a couple of testimonials that reflect this:
“Implementation was a terrible experience for us. These third-party integrations often don’t work out of the box and require extensive coding to set up.”— Odoo CRM user on Capterra
“As one Zoho CRM user put it:In a matter of 2 months, I was writing my own custom workflows… the system is intuitive after a brief introduction.”— Zoho CRM user on Capterra
If you really want to compare Odoo as an all rounder system (not only CRM) with a Zoho alternative, we would point you to Zoho One – A bundle of 45+ full fledged Zoho applications covering marketing, sales, finance and more an in insanely affordable price. You’ll get more information on Zoho One here or activate a free 30 day trial here ( no credit cards needed )
3. Support at hand
Zoho CRM includes in-app chat support across all paid plans, so getting help is quick and easy.
Odoo CRM typically relies on ticket-based support unless you’re on a higher-tier plan or have purchased a separate support pack. For teams that need fast answers, that difference can make a real impact.
4. More businesses recommend Zoho CRM
We’ll make this one simple: According to TrustRadius, Zoho CRM has a recommendation score of 8.3/10 compared to Odoo CRM’s 6.5/10.
5. Actual Hidden Costs… Partner Licenses
Odoo’s pricing model looks appealing—but once you start adding essential apps or need integrations and support, the total cost can climb fast due to an often unspoken element – Partner licenses.
What many don’t know is, unlike Zoho, Odoo partners may pay annual certification fees to maintain their partner status—costs that may end up passed on to clients as part of implementation fees. Zoho partners, by contrast, have no recurring fees, making pricing simpler and more transparent for clients.
RECOMMENDATION
Zoho CRM of 8.3/10 : Odoo CRM’s 6.5/10
Conclusion
Choosing the right CRM isn’t just about features—it’s about finding a solution that’s ready to support your team from day one, and flexible enough to evolve with your business. Based on our review, the following points put Zoho CRM (as a CRM solution) as a better choice than Odoo CRM:
- Zoho CRM works straight out of the box from a CRM functionality perspective
- This is backed by higher feature-fit scores of 84% for Zoho CRM as opposed to 68% for Odoo CRM
- Finally, and this one is important, people recommend Zoho CRM way more than Odoo CRM.
Curious to explore if Zoho CRM could be a better fit for your business? We’d be happy to chat or even walk you through it—no strings attached. Feel free to reach out to book a demo.
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