5 new features announced at Odoo Experience 2026

By Pascale Pharand, Odoo expert at e3k

For years, I watched the Odoo Experience keynotes from behind my screen. This year, I finally had the chance to attend in person in Belgium.

Beyond the energy on site, the Odoo community, and the live demonstrations, what struck me the most was the speed at which the platform is evolving. Odoo is no longer just looking to offer a complete ERP. With the new features announced for Odoo 20, there is a clear intention to transform the way companies work on a daily basis.

Here are the five announcements that caught my attention the most, in detail.

1. AI becomes a true work colleague

Artificial intelligence was undoubtedly the star of the event.

But this year, we were no longer in the realm of concepts or promises. Odoo presented AI agents capable of performing tasks and assisting users in their daily operations.

The arrival of the MCP (Model Context Protocol) is also very interesting, as it will allow Odoo to connect to various external AI solutions.

What I take away is that AI is becoming increasingly integrated into business processes rather than being a parallel tool.

2. Automation in accounting continues to gain ground

Finance and accounting teams will have several reasons to rejoice.

I was impressed by the new automation possibilities, particularly in accounting processes and some more complex operations like intercompany transactions.

The goal is clear: to reduce manual tasks and allow teams to spend more time on analysis and decision-making.

3. Production and planning reach a new milestone

There were many announcements related to manufacturing this year.

The new feature that particularly stood out to me is the new Kanban schedule in production. The visualization is much more intuitive and facilitates understanding of the workload and progress of operations.

I also appreciated how Odoo now more easily links work orders and production operations.

For manufacturing companies, these are improvements that can have a very concrete impact on daily efficiency.

4. A better experience for teams in the field

Several new features directly target users who work far from an office.

Among those that caught my attention:

• offline mode;
• the improvements to telephony;
• the scheduling tools;
• the management of leave;
• the features related to barcodes and inventory;
• the improvements to the point of sale.

These developments may seem modest individually, but together, they significantly enhance the user experience.

5. The new pricing: the topic that generated the most reactions

If there is one announcement that sparked numerous discussions during Odoo Experience, it is undoubtedly the new pricing structure. With the introduction of the concept of Light User and a new way to account for users within an organization, many companies will seek to understand the real impact on their costs and deployments.

I quickly felt that this announcement divided opinions. Some see it as a way to make Odoo more accessible to a larger number of collaborators. Others are already questioning the consequences for organizations with many colleagues who only use the ERP occasionally.

One thing is certain: this new pricing is likely to fuel many conversations in the coming months.

My overall impression

If I had to summarize Odoo Experience 2026 in one sentence, I would say that we are witnessing a redefinition of the role of the ERP. With AI, increased automation, and an ever-smoother user experience, Odoo 20 is not just a new version of the software. It is a new way of thinking about what an ERP can bring to a business.

For my part, I am now very eager to put these new features to the test in the field and measure their concrete impacts for our clients.