Odoo vs Zoho

2020. New and improved Zoho Workplace adds Dashboard view


Zoho has introduced an enhanced version of Workplace, a comprehensive set of productivity, communication, and collaboration tools. Workplace goes beyond being a mere collection of applications; it serves as a fully integrated and unified workspace that seamlessly integrates with other business applications. This integration ensures that the context is preserved and a continuous workflow is maintained. The latest addition to the integrated Zoho Workplace is the Dashboard view, which organizes and presents recent and crucial work items such as emails, calendar schedules, important documents, reminders, and more. Workplace not only simplifies the process of switching between apps but also ensures that the context is maintained, enabling a seamless transition from one app to another. For instance, an email attachment received in Mail can be edited using Writer and then uploaded to WorkDrive, while the email thread can be continued in Cliq as a group conversation. Additionally, an event can be created from this conversation, and a meeting can be launched directly from the event's calendar entry.


2020. All new Zoho Writer adds collaboration analytics and templates flow


Zoho has unveiled the latest version of its online text processor, Zoho Writer 6, which introduces a new collaboration analytics tool called Engagement Insights. This powerful tool provides users with comprehensive and valuable information about how their collaborators interact with their documents. Particularly in the context of legal documents such as proposals, Engagement Insights offers insights into which sections are deemed crucial or confusing by clients. Additionally, Zoho Writer 6 aims to streamline the document creation process, reducing the need for manual editing, copy/pasting, and content duplication when generating contracts, proposals, letters, and customized marketing materials. This enhancement is facilitated through the new Prepare Template flow, enabling users to configure document templates for workflow automation. These templates can then be connected to data sources, such as Zoho CRM or third-party applications, using native Zoho integrations, Deluge Custom Functions, or REST APIs.


2019. Odoo grabs $90M to sell more SMEs on its business app suite



Belgium-based Odoo, an all-in-one business software provider, has raised $90 million. Odoo offers both an open source version and subscription-based enterprise software and SaaS solutions. Since its establishment in 2005, the company has achieved significant profitability and sustained 60% annual growth. Odoo primarily focuses on serving the SME business apps market, competing with major players such as Oracle, SAP, and Zoho. Through its Enterprise platform, Odoo offers around 30 applications, including ERP, accounting, stock management, manufacturing, CRM, project management, marketing, human resources, website, eCommerce, and point-of-sale apps. Additionally, a vibrant community of over 20,000 active members has contributed over 16,000 apps to the open source version of Odoo's software, catering to a wide range of business requirements.


2018. Zoho gets virtual assistant and analytics upgrades



Zoho has introduced several enhancements to its all-in-one cloud app suite, Zoho One, including new analytics capabilities and expanded access to its Zia AI assistant. Initially available exclusively in Zoho's CRM tool, Zia provided sales representatives with data-driven suggestions. Now, Zia's functionality has been extended to all Zoho One apps, enabling users to access contextual information from various sources. For example, Zia can extract data from Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk, the service desk tool, to provide users with insights such as the number of customers in the sales pipeline who have an open support ticket. Customers can now ask Zia questions that span multiple apps and receive responses that may involve Zia's collaboration with multiple Zoho One apps behind the scenes to provide the answer.


2018. Zoho opened a platform for developers



Zoho has introduced the Zoho Office Platform, a new solution that enables seamless integration, connectivity, and development of applications using Zoho's high-quality office editors. This platform offers a range of straightforward and easy-to-integrate APIs, allowing developers to incorporate a built-in document editor into their applications. With this capability, users can create, access, and edit documents directly within their web applications. This is particularly advantageous for businesses that require comprehensive office editors for in-app document management while building web applications. By utilizing Zoho's Open APIs, you can connect your applications to the Zoho Office Suite, empowering your users to create, open, edit, convert, publish, and manage Zoho Office documents directly within your app. To get started, refer to our comprehensive Sheet and Writer API documentation.


2017. Zoho launched Operating System for Business



Zoho has recently unveiled its most extensive market launch to date - Zoho One. This comprehensive offering comprises a wide range of applications that function harmoniously to manage an entire business in the cloud. With over 35 web applications available (including CRM, Books, Mail, Docs, Projects, Invoice, Campaigns, and more) and an equivalent number of mobile apps, Zoho One ensures seamless operation through a single sign-on system, centralized administration, and provisioning. Essentially, it serves as a complete operating system for businesses of all kinds. While each individual application outperforms competing alternatives, their collective impact is even more significant. Zoho One pricing starts at €35 per employee on a month-to-month basis, providing excellent value for businesses.


2017. Zoho offers free online office for 25 users



Zoho, the reigning champion in developing SaaS services tailored for small businesses, has created an extensive range of offerings that can be overwhelming to navigate. To simplify and enhance the user experience, Zoho now presents a bundled package comprising their nine most popular services, collectively known as Zoho Workplace. This comprehensive suite includes Zoho Mail for email management, Zoho Writer as a text editor, Zoho Sheet for spreadsheets, Zoho Show for presentations (complete with the interactive audience engagement tool, Zoho Showtime), Zoho Docs for cloud storage, Zoho Chat as an intranet messenger, Zoho Sites for website building, and Zoho Connect as an internal social network. The most exciting part is that all of these services are available free of charge for up to 25 users. Furthermore, by inviting other companies to join the platform, you can unlock an additional 25 free user accounts. This remarkable offer sets Zoho Workplace apart, particularly when compared to competitors like Office 365 and G Suite, which lack a free version altogether.


2013. Zoho CEO: Salesforce acquires, acquires, acquires, while we build, build, build



Yesterday, Salesforce agreed to pay $2.5 billion for ExactTarget, and of course, Zoho chief, Sridhar Vembu, could not silently pass this event. Five years ago Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff tried to buy Zoho, and being refused, banned them on Force.com platform. So Sridhar loves to troll Mark, and yesterday he was on a roll. Here are the most interesting quotes from his speech: ***


2012. Zoho to close a number of services



Unbelievable: SaaS-provider Zoho, renowned for its aspiration to secure a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for the sheer number of services created, is currently streamlining its portfolio. By the end of the year, six Zoho products will be discontinued. Here's the rundown: 1. Zoho Challenge - a tool designed for testing job candidates. 2. Zoho CommentBox - a social customer support application (see our review).Apparently, the company has realized they already have a similar service in place. 3.Zoho Planner - an online organizer, perhaps aimed at enticing users to opt for Zoho Projects. 4. Zoho Plugin for Office - an add-on enabling collaborative editing of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.


2011. Zoho launched online accounting service Zoho Books

Zoho has recently addressed a notable gap in its suite of online applications for small businesses by introducing the online accounting service Zoho Books. With this addition, Zoho now offers a comprehensive set of tools tailored to meet the needs of small businesses. Zoho Books facilitates the management of financial transactions, bank accounts, invoice creation and delivery, as well as receipt of payments through PayPal or credit cards. It also enables revenue and expense planning. The integration of Zoho Books with Zoho CRM, Email, and spreadsheets enhances its suitability for accountants and other staff members. Existing users of Zoho Invoice will be provided with a straightforward upgrade path to Zoho Books. Unlike other Zoho products, Zoho Books does not offer a free version, instead providing a 30-day trial. This decision is understandable considering that most small companies typically have only one accountant, and offering a free single-user version would not be practical. The service is priced at $24 per month for a single account, with an additional cost of $5 per month for each additional user.