Odoo pays less than NetSuite. Less than SAP, less than Business Central. And it's still the salary story we find ourselves telling most often — because no ERP market is repricing its people faster.
The 2026 shape of it: mid-level UK functional consultants at £46,000–£64,000, seniors at £63,800–£82,500. In the US, mid-level runs $88,000–$121,000. Python developers track roughly 10% above functional peers — until you add OWL. Odoo 17 moved the frontend to the OWL framework, most of the developer pool hasn't caught up, and the ones who have earn 15–20% over everyone else. That gap has widened with every release since, and we don't see the training pipeline closing it before 2028.
Full breakdown — every role, both markets, junior through practice lead, plus the £385–£660 day-rate picture — lives in our maintained Odoo Salary Guide 2026. This post is the weather report; that page is the climate record, and it gets updated as offers move.
Why the cheapest ERP mints expensive people
Odoo wins deals on price, which sounds like it should cap salaries. Opposite happens. Every cheap licence sold is another implementation needing consultants, another version upgrade on the annual treadmill, another growing company that eventually hires an in-house administrator. Partner count keeps climbing in both markets — new Gold and Silver partners need delivery staff on day one, and certified people rarely stay on the market a fortnight.
Career arbitrage, in plain terms: two delivered Odoo implementations currently buy you more market attention per year of experience than any comparable platform we recruit for. We've said this to enough candidates now to call it a house view.
If you're pricing yourself — or pricing a hire — start with the salary checker, then the Python developer path if the technical track tempts you. Employers: the UK pool especially is shallow enough that role framing matters; send us the brief and we'll tell you what's realistic before you advertise a fantasy. The Odoo desk is one of our fastest growing for a reason.