{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "odoo", "name": "Odoo External API", "vendor": "Odoo SA", "vendorUrl": "https://www.odoo.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "accounting", "summary": "Odoo is a business suite from Odoo SA in Belgium with accounting, invoicing, sales, stock and HR apps on one database. Outside software reaches it through the JSON-2 HTTP API with API keys and, from Odoo 20, an MCP server.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/odoo", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/odoo.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/odoo.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/odoo.json", "repo": "https://github.com/odoo/odoo", "license": "Community edition LGPL-3.0. The Enterprise edition (the full Accounting app and the AI app with the MCP server) is proprietary under the Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "An API key created by a user under Preferences, Account Security, New API Key, sent as `Authorization: bearer \u003ckey\u003e`. The key acts with that user's access rights and record rules, is shown once and expires within three months at most. Self-serve once the database is on a plan that includes the external API (Custom on Odoo Online), with no app review. The MCP server takes a key created with the MCP scope. The deprecated XML-RPC and JSON-RPC services take the database name, user id and password or key in the call.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Odoo Online needs the Custom plan for the external API. On 8 October 2026 the pricing page, read from a UK address, showed Custom at £41 a user a month billed yearly or £52 billed monthly (£32 and £41 for the first 12 months), Standard at £22 or £28 without the external API, and One App Free at £0 for one app without it. A free trial needs no card. The Community edition is free to self-host under LGPLv3 and includes the JSON-2 API. We did not read US dollar prices, so the price table is empty.", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the external API docs, the MCP server docs or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 54912, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://www.odoo.com/documentation/20.0/developer/reference/external_api.html", "capabilities": [ "accounting.ledger", "accounting.invoices", "accounting.bills" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "self-hosted", "open-source", "enterprise", "mcp", "status-page" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-08", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 55.9, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 499, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 7, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 22, "reliability": 44, "schema": 51, "security": 61, "transparency": 93 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "One endpoint pattern reaches every model, with field selection, filters and paging, and keys that expire within three months. On Odoo Online the external API needs the Custom plan, there is no OpenAPI file, and the acceptable use policy asks for about one call a second with no parallel calls.", "bestFor": "An agent working inside a company that already runs Odoo, where invoices, bills, journal entries, stock and sales sit in one database behind one endpoint pattern.", "strengths": [ "`/json/2/\u003cmodel\u003e/\u003cmethod\u003e` reaches every model the user can see, including `account.move` for invoices, bills and journal entries", "API keys are per user, shown once, expire within three months at most and can be generated and revoked through the API", "Odoo 20 adds an MCP server at `\u003cdatabase_url\u003e/mcp` that exposes five read-only tools by default, with write tools switched on one by one", "The Community edition is LGPLv3 and carries the same JSON-2 controller, so a self-hosted server answers the same calls at no charge", "The privacy policy of 24 September 2026 names subprocessors, hosting regions and retention periods" ], "weaknesses": [ "On Odoo Online the external API is limited to the Custom plan. One App Free and Standard exclude it", "No OpenAPI file and no llms.txt. The per-database reference at `/doc` needs a login or a key, and its docs section reads \"Under construction\"", "The acceptable use policy puts API traffic at about one call a second with no parallel calls. No 429 or Retry-After handling was found in the docs", "No idempotency keys, and the JSON-2 docs say several calls cannot share one transaction", "status.odoo.com has no history page, and its only dated entry is a planned upgrade on 4 August 2026", "The full Accounting app and the MCP server are in the proprietary Enterprise edition. Community has Invoicing" ], "agentNotes": [ "POST to `/json/2/\u003cmodel\u003e/\u003cmethod\u003e` with `Authorization: bearer \u003ckey\u003e` and named arguments in a JSON body. Add `X-Odoo-Database` when one host serves several databases", "Pass `fields` and `limit` on `search_read`. The default limit is every matching record", "Create invoices and bills on `account.move` with `move_type` set to `out_invoice` or `in_invoice`, then call `action_post`. A new move is a draft", "Keep to about one call a second with no parallel calls on Odoo Online, and batch records into one `create` call", "Ask the owner for a key on a dedicated bot user with the minimum access rights, and rotate it before its expiry date" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 55.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 22, "reliability": 44, "schema": 51, "security": 61, "transparency": 87 }, "provenanceScore": 98 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://$DATABASE.odoo.com/json/2/res.partner/search_read \\\n -X POST \\\n --oauth2-bearer $API_KEY \\\n -H \"X-Odoo-Database: $DATABASE\" \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"domain\": [[\"is_company\", \"=\", true]], \"fields\": [\"name\"]}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport stdio \u003cserver_name\u003e -- npx -y mcp-remote \u003cdatabase_url\u003e/mcp --header \"Authorization: Bearer \u003cAPI_KEY\u003e\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "odoo": { "args": [ "-y", "mcp-remote", "\u003cdatabase_url\u003e/mcp", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer \u003cAPI_KEY\u003e" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/accounting.ledger", "tool": "https://letme.dev/odoo" }, "area": "domain-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Odoo SA", "domain": "odoo.com", "domainRegistered": "2001-01-25", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.odoo.com/documentation/20.0/legal/terms/enterprise.html", "privacy": "https://www.odoo.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.odoo.com", "changelog": "https://www.odoo.com/odoo-20-release-notes", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement (version 13, 24 September 2026) is between the customer and Odoo SA and its affiliates, under Belgian law, and covers the cloud platforms and self-hosting. The Acceptable Use Policy of 7 May 2025 is incorporated into it.", "The privacy policy (effective 24 September 2026) gives the postal contact as Odoo SA, Chaussée de Namur 40, Belgium, and privacy@odoo.com.", "www.odoo.com/.well-known/security.txt is PGP-signed and gives security@odoo.com, the disclosure policy and a hall of fame. It has no Expires field, which RFC 9116 requires.", "Odoo Online databases answer at \u003cname\u003e.odoo.com. A self-hosted server answers on the owner's own domain.", "status.odoo.com is a single page with component states and no history page. Its only dated entry on 8 October 2026 was the planned odoo.com upgrade of 4 August 2026.", "RDAP for odoo.com gives a registration date of 2001-01-25." ], "score": 98 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/odoo.json", "live": { "slug": "odoo", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.odoo.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:38:51.647101455Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:38:51.647101455Z" } }, "answer": "Zoho Books scores 61.1 (C) on agent readiness against Odoo External API's 55.9 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Odoo External API leads on agent ergonomics, maintenance \u0026 community and transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "zoho-books", "name": "Zoho Books", "vendor": "Zoho", "vendorUrl": "https://www.zoho.com/books/", "kind": "http-api", "category": "accounting", "summary": "Zoho Books is hosted accounting software from Zoho for small and mid-sized businesses. Agents reach it through the REST API v3, covering invoices, bills, payments, banking, journals and the chart of accounts behind OAuth 2.0.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-books", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-books.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-books.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zoho-books.json", "license": "Proprietary service under Zoho's Terms of Service", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3", "packages": [], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "OAuth 2.0 only. A person registers a client in the Zoho developer console (a server-based application, or a self client for one's own organisation) and approves scopes, which narrow to one module and one operation. The access token lasts one hour and goes in `Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken \u003ctoken\u003e`. The refresh token lasts until revoked. Every call also needs `organization_id`. Each data centre has its own accounts host and API domain. Registration is self-serve, with no app review or sales approval found for use inside one's own organisation.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free plan for one user and one accountant with 1,000 API requests a day, open to businesses with yearly revenue under $50,000. Paid plans cost $15 to $240 an organisation a month billed yearly in the US edition ($20 to $275 monthly) and have a 14-day trial. The plan sets the daily API cap, up to 10,000. No sandbox organisation was found, so an agent starts on the Free plan or a trial (https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$15 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the API docs, the OpenAPI files or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://www.zoho.com/books/api/v3/introduction/", "llmsTxt": "https://www.zoho.com/us/books/help/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://www.zoho.com/books/api/v3/openapi-all.zip", "capabilities": [ "accounting.ledger", "accounting.invoices", "accounting.bills" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "oauth", "openapi", "mcp", "webhooks", "free-tier", "status-page", "bug-bounty", "soc2" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-07", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 61.1, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 377, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 51, "maintenance": 56, "payments": 30, "reliability": 71, "schema": 71, "security": 68, "transparency": 75 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The public OpenAPI files cover 885 operations with OAuth scopes per module and operation, and the Free plan allows 1,000 API requests a day. No report endpoint, official SDK, SLA or dated API changelog was found, and the documented token calls put the client secret in the URL.", "bestFor": "Small businesses already on Zoho that want an agent to raise invoices, record bills and payments, reconcile bank transactions and post journals with narrow scopes.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI 3.0.0 files for 45 resources and 885 operations download from the docs as `openapi-all.zip`", "OAuth scopes narrow to one module and one operation, such as `ZohoBooks.invoices.READ`", "Every API reference operation has a Markdown twin, such as `/books/api/v3/invoices/create-an-invoice.md`", "The Free plan includes 1,000 API requests a day per the plan comparison", "The API Usage dashboard lists recent calls by user, module, IP address and application" ], "weaknesses": [ "No profit and loss, balance sheet or other report endpoint appears in the API docs or the OpenAPI files", "The documented token and refresh calls put the client secret and refresh token in the URL query string", "Daily caps are low, 1,000 requests on Free and 10,000 on the top three plans", "No official SDK, SLA, API deprecation policy or dated API changelog found in the reviewed pages", "429 is documented without a Retry-After header or backoff guidance" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `organization_id` as a query parameter on every call. Read it from `GET /organizations` first", "Use the `api_domain` returned with the token, since each of the nine data centres has its own host (zohoapis.com, zohoapis.eu, zohoapis.in and others)", "Send `Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken \u003ctoken\u003e` and refresh hourly. Each user keeps at most 20 refresh tokens and the oldest is deleted", "Stay under 100 requests a minute and the plan's daily cap. Codes 44, 45 and 1070 on a 429 mean minute, day and concurrency limits", "To repeat an update safely, send `X-Unique-Identifier-Key`, `X-Unique-Identifier-Value` and `X-Upsert` with a unique custom field. Creates have no idempotency key" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 61.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 51, "maintenance": 56, "payments": 30, "reliability": 71, "schema": 71, "security": 68, "transparency": 54 }, "provenanceScore": 95 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X GET 'https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3/organizations' \\\n -H \"Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken $ZOHO_ACCESS_TOKEN\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/accounting.ledger", "tool": "https://letme.dev/zoho-books" }, "sameCompany": [ "zoho-zeptomail", "zoho-crm", "zoho-recruit", "zoho-people" ], "area": "domain-data", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Standard", "unit": "month", "usd": 15, "note": "per organisation, billed yearly; $20 billed monthly; 3 users, 2,000 API requests a day" }, { "item": "Professional", "unit": "month", "usd": 40, "note": "per organisation, billed yearly; $50 billed monthly; 5 users, 5,000 API requests a day" }, { "item": "Premium", "unit": "month", "usd": 60, "note": "per organisation, billed yearly; $70 billed monthly; 10 users, 10,000 API requests a day" }, { "item": "Elite", "unit": "month", "usd": 120, "note": "per organisation, billed yearly; $150 billed monthly; 10 users, 10,000 API requests a day" }, { "item": "Ultimate", "unit": "month", "usd": 240, "note": "per organisation, billed yearly; $275 billed monthly; 15 users, 10,000 API requests a day" }, { "item": "Additional user", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 2.5, "note": "billed yearly; $3 billed monthly; paid plans only" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Zoho Corporation Private Limited", "domain": "zoho.com", "domainRegistered": "2004-01-16", "domainNote": "API calls go to www.zohoapis.com and its regional equivalents, a Zoho domain other than zoho.com.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.zoho.com/terms.html", "privacy": "https://www.zoho.com/privacy.html", "statusPage": "https://status.zoho.com", "changelog": "https://www.zoho.com/books/whats-new.html", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Terms of Service (last updated 2 March 2022) are the service agreement for Zoho's online services. The contracting entity depends on the customer's region, Zoho Corporation Private Limited for India and Zoho Corporation for the United States (https://www.zoho.com/legal/zoho-contracting-entities.html).", "A separate Zoho Developer Agreement at https://www.zoho.com/developer/terms.html covers the developer tools.", "The privacy policy was last updated on 22 December 2025 and covers Zoho's websites and the products on them.", "security.txt at www.zoho.com gives a bug bounty contact, security@zohocorp.com, a policy link and an expiry of 30 June 2028.", "The changelog link is the product What's New page, newest entry 31 July 2026. No dated API changelog was found.", "RDAP for zoho.com gives a registration date of 2004-01-16." ], "score": 95 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-books.json", "live": { "slug": "zoho-books", "probe": { "target": "https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:26.720239875Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 427, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 448, "p95ms24h": 486, "samples24h": 21, "samples30d": 21, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 21, "ok": 21 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.zoho.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:39:22.344999716Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:26.720239875Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Odoo SA", "b": "Zoho", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "OAuth", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Community edition LGPL-3.0. The Enterprise edition (the full Accounting app and the AI app with the MCP server) is proprietary under the Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement", "b": "Proprietary service under Zoho's Terms of Service", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-08", "b": "2026-10-07", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "2022-03-02", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-09-24", "b": "2025-12-22", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "55k stars", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Zoho Books scores 61.1 (C) on agent readiness against Odoo External API's 55.9 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Odoo External API leads on agent ergonomics, maintenance \u0026 community and transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Odoo External API or Zoho Books?" }, { "answer": "Odoo External API needs an API key. Zoho Books uses an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Odoo External API and Zoho Books need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for Odoo External API. Zoho Books has a hosted endpoint at https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3.", "question": "Can an agent call Odoo External API and Zoho Books without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "Odoo External API is open source (Community edition LGPL-3.0. The Enterprise edition (the full Accounting app and the AI app with the MCP server) is proprietary under the Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement). No open-source release is listed for Zoho Books.", "question": "Are Odoo External API and Zoho Books open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Agent ergonomics, 67 against 51", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 56", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 93 against 75" ], "also": [ "Open source" ], "goodFor": "An agent working inside a company that already runs Odoo, where invoices, bills, journal entries, stock and sales sit in one database behind one endpoint pattern.", "slug": "odoo", "watchFor": "On Odoo Online the external API is limited to the Custom plan. One App Free and Standard exclude it" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 71 against 44", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 71 against 51", "Security \u0026 auth, 68 against 61", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 22" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install" ], "goodFor": "Small businesses already on Zoho that want an agent to raise invoices, record bills and payments, reconcile bank transactions and post journals with narrow scopes.", "slug": "zoho-books", "watchFor": "No profit and loss, balance sheet or other report endpoint appears in the API docs or the OpenAPI files" } ], "job": { "capability": "accounting.ledger", "name": "Accounting ledger" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apideck-accounting-vs-odoo.json", "title": "Apideck Accounting API + MCP vs Odoo External API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apideck-accounting-vs-odoo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apideck-accounting-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "Apideck Accounting API + MCP vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apideck-accounting-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codat-vs-odoo.json", "title": "Codat vs Odoo External API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codat-vs-odoo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codat-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "Codat vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codat-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freeagent-vs-odoo.json", "title": "FreeAgent API vs Odoo External API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freeagent-vs-odoo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freeagent-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "FreeAgent API vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freeagent-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshbooks-vs-odoo.json", "title": "FreshBooks API vs Odoo External API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshbooks-vs-odoo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshbooks-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "FreshBooks API vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshbooks-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/merge-accounting-vs-odoo.json", "title": "Merge Accounting API vs Odoo External API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/merge-accounting-vs-odoo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/merge-accounting-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "Merge Accounting API vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/merge-accounting-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-quickbooks-online.json", "title": "Odoo External API vs QuickBooks Online API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-quickbooks-online" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-rutter.json", "title": "Odoo External API vs Rutter Accounting API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-rutter" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-xero.json", "title": "Odoo External API vs Xero API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-xero" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/quickbooks-online-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "QuickBooks Online API + MCP vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/quickbooks-online-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rutter-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "Rutter Accounting API vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rutter-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/xero-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "Xero API + MCP vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/xero-vs-zoho-books" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/invoice-ninja-vs-odoo.json", "title": "Invoice Ninja API vs Odoo External API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/invoice-ninja-vs-odoo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/invoice-ninja-vs-zoho-books.json", "title": "Invoice Ninja API vs Zoho Books", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/invoice-ninja-vs-zoho-books" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 27, "edge": "zoho-books", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "odoo": 44, "weight": 16, "zoho-books": 71 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 20, "edge": "zoho-books", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "odoo": 51, "weight": 13, "zoho-books": 71 }, { "by": 16, "edge": "odoo", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "odoo": 67, "weight": 13, "zoho-books": 51 }, { "by": 7, "edge": "zoho-books", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "odoo": 61, "weight": 14, "zoho-books": 68 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "zoho-books", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "odoo": 22, "weight": 10, "zoho-books": 30 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 17, "edge": "odoo", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "odoo": 73, "weight": 7, "zoho-books": 56 }, { "by": 18, "edge": "odoo", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "odoo": 93, "weight": 7, "zoho-books": 75 } ], "summary": "Zoho Books scores 61.1 (C) on agent readiness against Odoo External API's 55.9 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Odoo External API leads on agent ergonomics, maintenance \u0026 community and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do accounting ledger.", "verdicts": { "odoo": "One endpoint pattern reaches every model, with field selection, filters and paging, and keys that expire within three months. On Odoo Online the external API needs the Custom plan, there is no OpenAPI file, and the acceptable use policy asks for about one call a second with no parallel calls.", "zoho-books": "The public OpenAPI files cover 885 operations with OAuth scopes per module and operation, and the Free plan allows 1,000 API requests a day. No report endpoint, official SDK, SLA or dated API changelog was found, and the documented token calls put the client secret in the URL." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books.min.md" }, "markdown": "Zoho Books scores 61.1 (C) on agent readiness against Odoo External API's 55.9 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Odoo External API leads on agent ergonomics, maintenance \u0026 community and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do accounting ledger.\n\n- Odoo External API: grade C, 55.9/100, rank #499 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/odoo.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/odoo.json\n- Zoho Books: grade C, 61.1/100, rank #377 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-books.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zoho-books.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Odoo External API (C)\n\nGood for: An agent working inside a company that already runs Odoo, where invoices, bills, journal entries, stock and sales sit in one database behind one endpoint pattern.\n\nAhead on:\n- Agent ergonomics, 67 against 51\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 56\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 93 against 75\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: On Odoo Online the external API is limited to the Custom plan. One App Free and Standard exclude it\n\n### Zoho Books (C)\n\nGood for: Small businesses already on Zoho that want an agent to raise invoices, record bills and payments, reconcile bank transactions and post journals with narrow scopes.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 71 against 44\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 71 against 51\n- Security \u0026 auth, 68 against 61\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 22\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: No profit and loss, balance sheet or other report endpoint appears in the API docs or the OpenAPI files\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Odoo External API | Zoho Books | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 44 | 71 | Zoho Books +27 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 71 | Zoho Books +20 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 67 | 51 | Odoo External API +16 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 61 | 68 | Zoho Books +7 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 22 | 30 | Zoho Books +8 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 56 | Odoo External API +17 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 93 | 75 | Odoo External API +18 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **55.9 · C** | **61.1 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Odoo External API | Zoho Books |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Odoo SA | Zoho |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth |\n| Pricing | Paid | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Community edition LGPL-3.0. The Enterprise edition (the full Accounting app and the AI app with the MCP server) is proprietary under the Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement | Proprietary service under Zoho's Terms of Service |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-07 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | 2022-03-02 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-24 | 2025-12-22 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 55k stars | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Odoo External API.** One endpoint pattern reaches every model, with field selection, filters and paging, and keys that expire within three months. On Odoo Online the external API needs the Custom plan, there is no OpenAPI file, and the acceptable use policy asks for about one call a second with no parallel calls.\n\n**Zoho Books.** The public OpenAPI files cover 885 operations with OAuth scopes per module and operation, and the Free plan allows 1,000 API requests a day. No report endpoint, official SDK, SLA or dated API changelog was found, and the documented token calls put the client secret in the URL.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Odoo External API\n\n1. POST to `/json/2/\u003cmodel\u003e/\u003cmethod\u003e` with `Authorization: bearer \u003ckey\u003e` and named arguments in a JSON body. Add `X-Odoo-Database` when one host serves several databases\n2. Pass `fields` and `limit` on `search_read`. The default limit is every matching record\n3. Create invoices and bills on `account.move` with `move_type` set to `out_invoice` or `in_invoice`, then call `action_post`. A new move is a draft\n4. Keep to about one call a second with no parallel calls on Odoo Online, and batch records into one `create` call\n5. Ask the owner for a key on a dedicated bot user with the minimum access rights, and rotate it before its expiry date\n\n### Zoho Books\n\n1. Send `organization_id` as a query parameter on every call. Read it from `GET /organizations` first\n2. Use the `api_domain` returned with the token, since each of the nine data centres has its own host (zohoapis.com, zohoapis.eu, zohoapis.in and others)\n3. Send `Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken \u003ctoken\u003e` and refresh hourly. Each user keeps at most 20 refresh tokens and the oldest is deleted\n4. Stay under 100 requests a minute and the plan's daily cap. Codes 44, 45 and 1070 on a 429 mean minute, day and concurrency limits\n5. To repeat an update safely, send `X-Unique-Identifier-Key`, `X-Unique-Identifier-Value` and `X-Upsert` with a unique custom field. Creates have no idempotency key\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Odoo External API or Zoho Books?\n\nZoho Books scores 61.1 (C) on agent readiness against Odoo External API's 55.9 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Odoo External API leads on agent ergonomics, maintenance \u0026 community and transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Do Odoo External API and Zoho Books need an API key?\n\nOdoo External API needs an API key. Zoho Books uses an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Odoo External API and Zoho Books without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for Odoo External API. Zoho Books has a hosted endpoint at https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3.\n\n### Are Odoo External API and Zoho Books open source?\n\nOdoo External API is open source (Community edition LGPL-3.0. The Enterprise edition (the full Accounting app and the AI app with the MCP server) is proprietary under the Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement). No open-source release is listed for Zoho Books.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"odoo\", \"b\": \"zoho-books\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare odoo zoho-books`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/odoo.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zoho-books.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Odoo External API or Zoho Books\n\n- [Apideck Accounting API + MCP vs Odoo External API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apideck-accounting-vs-odoo.md)\n- [Apideck Accounting API + MCP vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apideck-accounting-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [Codat vs Odoo External API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codat-vs-odoo.md)\n- [Codat vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codat-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [FreeAgent API vs Odoo External API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freeagent-vs-odoo.md)\n- [FreeAgent API vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freeagent-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [FreshBooks API vs Odoo External API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshbooks-vs-odoo.md)\n- [FreshBooks API vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshbooks-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [Merge Accounting API vs Odoo External API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/merge-accounting-vs-odoo.md)\n- [Merge Accounting API vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/merge-accounting-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [Odoo External API vs QuickBooks Online API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-quickbooks-online.md)\n- [Odoo External API vs Rutter Accounting API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-rutter.md)\n- [Odoo External API vs Xero API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-xero.md)\n- [QuickBooks Online API + MCP vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/quickbooks-online-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [Rutter Accounting API vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rutter-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [Xero API + MCP vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/xero-vs-zoho-books.md)\n- [Invoice Ninja API vs Odoo External API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/invoice-ninja-vs-odoo.md)\n- [Invoice Ninja API vs Zoho Books](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/invoice-ninja-vs-zoho-books.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Odoo External API vs Zoho Books", "url": "" } ], "description": "Zoho Books scores 61.1 (C) on agent readiness against Odoo External API's 55.9 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Odoo External API leads on agent ergonomics, maintenance \u0026 community and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do accounting ledger. Category scores, facts, verdicts…", "facts": [ "Odoo External API C 55.9", "Zoho Books C 61.1", "scores" ], "h1": "Odoo External API vs Zoho Books", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-odoo-vs-zoho-books.png", "path": "/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Odoo External API vs Zoho Books for AI agents, C 55.9 vs C 61.1", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/odoo-vs-zoho-books" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2450, "slim": 730 }, "version": 1 }