Every year, Odoo releases a new major version. And every year, companies ask the same question: should we upgrade? The short answer: yes. The longer answer: it depends on your situation, but the longer you wait, the more expensive and complex it becomes.
As an Odoo partner, we guide several customers through this process every year. In this article you will read how we approach an upgrade, so you know what to expect.
Why upgrade?
Support
Odoo only fully supports the most recent versions. For older versions, support becomes more limited and certain problems are simply no longer fixed. The older your version, the more you are on your own.
Better features, better user experience
Every version brings concrete improvements: a faster interface, better reporting, a stronger accounting module and new possibilities for e-commerce, HR and AI. Your employees work in the system every day, so every improvement counts. Curious what those AI features are worth? We found out which Odoo AI apps really work smart and which do not yet.
New functionality varies greatly between versions
Some features start as a basic implementation and only grow into a mature whole in later versions. A good example is electronic invoicing via Peppol, the network for e-invoices that has been mandatory for invoices between Belgian companies since January 1, 2026. The first implementations in Odoo were basic; in the current Odoo version, Peppol is much more robust and complete. So on an old version you not only miss new features: you also work with less mature versions of existing functionality. Read more about this in our article on the Peppol obligation.
Integrations and ecosystem
External integrations, community modules (OCA, the open-source community around Odoo) and new legal requirements are built for the latest versions. On an outdated version, you gradually become isolated.
More than the push of a button
An upgrade sounds simple, but there is more to it than you think. A small change in a field or function can have major consequences for:
- Custom development: custom modules and adjustments built specifically for your company
- Email templates and document layouts: PDF quotes, invoices and emails are always custom work and fall outside Odoo's upgrade scripts
- Website: pages and webshop customizations that may need to be updated
Thorough testing and checking makes the difference between a smooth transition and a week full of surprises.
Who does what?
Odoo takes care of the standard
Odoo provides the migration scripts for all standard modules. Everything you know from the standard Odoo apps (accounting, sales, purchase, CRM, inventory, HR) is moved to the new version by Odoo itself. That is included in your Odoo license. If bugs show up in the standard, we report them to Odoo Support and follow up until they are fixed.
We take care of the custom development
Everything that was built specifically for your company falls under our responsibility: custom modules, adjusted screens, specific reports, extra fields and integrations with external systems. Do you use third-party modules (modules from external developers)? Then we work with those developers to bring them along as well.
Our approach: two phases
We divide every upgrade project into two clear phases: upgrade foundations and upgrade delivery. That keeps the project clear for you and for us, just as we also approach implementations in phases.
Phase 1: Upgrade foundations
In the first phase we lay the technical foundation, largely in the background and without impact on your daily operations.
We start with a test upgrade of your database. We fix error messages pragmatically; PDF reports and email templates are deliberately set aside for now, they come in phase 2. The result: a working test environment on the new version, filled with your own data.
At the same time, we prepare a thorough report:
- Audit of the custom development: we analyze all custom modules and adjustments. Often there are modules among them that you no longer need: functionality that is now standard in Odoo, adjustments nobody uses anymore, or workarounds for problems that were fixed long ago. We drop that excess weight, and that makes the upgrade faster, cheaper and cleaner.
- Status per module: does the module work fully, partially or not at all after the upgrade? Clearly laid out, with a clear status per item.
- Action plan per module: migrate fully, eliminate because the functionality is now standard, or an alternative solution.
- Hour estimate: a robust estimate per module and per action, so you know where you stand.
- Discussion and advice: we go through the report together and discuss the options.
Phase 2: Upgrade delivery
Based on the report, you choose per module:
- Full upgrade: the module is thoroughly adapted to the new version
- Partial upgrade: drop certain custom development or third-party modules, for example because the functionality is now standard in Odoo or no longer needed
- On hold: postpone to a later moment, for example because of timing or budget
What can you expect from us?
- We deliver upgraded modules step by step, in collaboration with Odoo Support and the developers of any third-party modules
- Where custom development has become redundant, we guide the transition to the new standard functionality
- We run basic tests and support your team in testing the upgraded database
- Email templates, PDF reports and website pages are adjusted in consultation with you. Every new Odoo version brings extra layout options: an ideal moment to refresh your documents.
What exactly is delivered?
After the upgrade foundations you receive:
- A working staging environment (a safe test copy of your system) on the new version, with your own data
- A report with status, action plan and hour estimate per module
- Advice on which custom development can be dropped or moved to standard
After the upgrade delivery:
- Your production environment on the new version
- All data correctly migrated and validated
- All your custom development fully working on the new version
- Adjusted email templates, PDF layouts and website
- Your team trained on the new functionality
What does postponing cost?
Every version you skip makes the next migration more complex and more expensive. Skipping several versions at once? Then all intermediate database changes still have to be run through, and there is a good chance your custom development will need a thorough rewrite. Meanwhile, you work with less mature versions of features that work much better in newer versions. Upgrading regularly is cheaper than waiting for years. That is why we deliberately build custom development to be upgradable: that keeps every migration manageable.
Ready to upgrade?
Curious what an upgrade would mean for your environment? We first take a brief look at your customizations and then give you a realistic estimate.
Curious what an upgrade involves for your environment?
Schedule a no-obligation introductory call of thirty minutes.
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