Odoo 18 Live Chat: Community vs. Enterprise Edition Comparison
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 12, 2026
In the world of instant gratification, Live Chat is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity. For businesses using Odoo, the question often isn't "Should we use Live Chat?" but rather "Is the Community version enough, or do we need Enterprise?"
Odoo 18 brings significant updates to both editions. While the Community (CE) edition offers a solid foundation for direct messaging, the Enterprise (EE) edition unlocks automation, AI chatbots, and deep CRM integration. Let's explore these differences through the lens of a growing e-commerce brand, "TechStart Kits".
At a Glance
- Community: Best for small teams handling chats manually.
- Enterprise: Essential for scaling teams needing Chatbots, Canned Responses, and Auto-Assignment.
1. Chatbots & Automation
This is the biggest differentiator. In the Community edition, every chat must be answered by a human.
Scenario: The 2 AM Customer
A customer visits TechStart Kits at 2 AM asking, "Where is my order?"
The customer sees a generic "We are offline" message or sends a message into a void, waiting for a human to log in the next morning.
An Odoo Chatbot instantly replies: "Please provide your Order ID." The bot checks the status and replies: "Your order #12345 is out for delivery." Customer satisfied.
2. Smart Operator Assignment
As your team grows, routing chats becomes chaotic without rules.
- Community: Chats are broadcast to everyone online in the channel. It's a "fastest finger first" scenario, which can lead to double-responses or ignored chats.
- Enterprise: Usage of Auto-Assignment rules. Odoo routes the chat to the agent with the fewest active chats or matching language skills (e.g., routing French queries to French speakers).
3. Website Widget Customization
If you manage multiple websites (e.g., B2B and B2C), you need different widget behaviors.
4. Analytics & Reporting
You can't improve what you don't measure.
| Metric | Community | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Session History | Basic Log List | Full History + Search |
| Satisfaction Ratings | Simple Star Rating | Detailed NPS Reporting |
| Operator Stats | Manual Calculation | Real-time Performance Dashboards |
Conclusion
For a solo entrepreneur or a very small team, Odoo Community Live Chat is functional and free. But for any business serious about customer support—especially those needing to handle volume, automate answers, or manage a team—Odoo Enterprise is the clear winner. The time saved by Chatbots and Auto-Assignment alone usually pays for the license.
Maximize Your Support ROI?
Implementing chatbots can reduce live agent load by 40%. Let us help you configure Odoo Enterprise Live Chat perfectly.
