Yes. Odoo runs multiple companies and branches from one database. Each company keeps its own invoices, taxes and reports, branches inherit their parent company’s accounting setup, and users switch between them from one login. Note that on Odoo Online, adding a second company or branch moves you from the Standard plan to the Custom plan.
Running several outlets, a factory plus a trading company, or a group with sister concerns is one of the most common reasons businesses outgrow spreadsheets. The goal is simple: every branch runs its day on its own, and the owner sees the whole group in one place. Here is how Odoo does that, and where it needs careful planning.
What is the difference between a company and a branch in Odoo?
Odoo gives you two levels, and picking the right one early saves a painful restructure later.
| Company | Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| What it represents | A separate legal entity | A location or division of one legal entity |
| Accounting and tax setup | Its own fiscal localization and chart of accounts | Set on the parent company and inherited |
| Documents (invoices, bills, quotes) | Belong to that company only | Belong to the branch, under the parent’s books |
| Best for | Sister concerns, separate NTNs, a group holding | Outlets, offices or regions under one registration |
A practical rule for Pakistan: if the business files its own tax returns under its own registration, set it up as a company. If it is a shop or office of the same registered business, make it a branch. Confirm the structure with your accountant, since tax registration decides this, not software.
What is shared between companies, and what stays separate?
- Shared by default: products and contacts created in a multi-company database are visible to all companies unless you set a company on them.
- Company-only: quotations, invoices and vendor bills belong to one company and are only visible when that company is active.
- Per company: warehouses, document layout (letterhead and footer), and which users can access it.
- Per user: each user has a list of allowed companies and one default company.
This is where most multi-branch setups go wrong. If product pricing or customer credit limits differ by branch, decide upfront which records are shared and which are restricted.
Can Odoo handle transactions between my own companies?
Yes. With Inter-Company Transactions enabled, Odoo can mirror documents automatically:
- A sales order in Company A creates a matching purchase order in Company B.
- A customer invoice posted to a sister company creates a vendor bill on the other side.
- You can choose to have these generated as drafts or created and validated automatically.
For this to work, the products involved must be shared between the companies, and fiscal positions and tax settings must be set correctly in each. Get this wrong and the mirrored bills carry the wrong tax.
Can I see reports for the whole group?
Yes, with a limit. Selecting several companies at once in the company selector shows aggregated figures across them without switching screens. That covers most day-to-day questions, such as group sales or stock across branches. Formal consolidation, with inter-company eliminations and currency translation for audited group accounts, needs extra configuration and should be scoped as part of the project rather than assumed.
Does multi-company cost more in Odoo?
On Odoo’s published pricing, multi-company is a feature of the Custom plan, not the Standard plan. Adding a company or branch to a Standard database automatically triggers an upgrade to Custom. Odoo’s pricing page does not list a separate charge per extra company; the cost difference is the plan change, which applies per user. The free One App plan also allows multiple companies. Prices change, so check the current rates on Odoo’s pricing page before budgeting.
Before you add companies, also plan for:
- Setting up each company’s chart of accounts, taxes and opening balances.
- Deciding user access per branch.
- Testing inter-company flows with real examples before go-live.
Get every branch running on one system
Tenxora sets up multi-company and multi-branch Odoo so each location runs its own day while you see the whole group in one view. We map your legal structure, decide what is shared, and test inter-company flows before go-live, so your teams start on a system that matches how the business actually works.
FAQ
Can one Odoo user work in several companies at once?
Yes. An admin sets each user’s Allowed Companies and a Default Company. The user ticks the companies they need in the top-right company selector and can see combined figures without logging out.
Do I need a separate Odoo database for each company?
No. Odoo is built to hold several companies in one database, which is what makes inter-company orders, shared products and combined reports possible. Separate databases only make sense when the businesses share nothing.
Can each branch have its own warehouse and POS?
Yes. Each company or branch can have its own warehouses, and Point of Sale shops are configured per location. Stock moves between branches are handled as internal transfers or inter-company orders, depending on whether they are the same legal entity.
Related service: Odoo Implementation. See also: What are the hidden costs of an Odoo implementation?
Sources: Odoo Docs: Companies, Odoo Docs: Multi-company, Odoo Pricing
