Choose an ERP by first describing how the firm works, then working out three years of running costs, and only then comparing systems. For a firm of 20 people, three years of running costs come to roughly 300,000 to 410,000 koruna by the price lists of 25 October 2026, without the work of a partner who sets up the system and migrates the data. For up to ten people who mostly invoice, boxed accounting software for 2,980 CZK is often enough. An ERP starts to make sense when sales, stock and accounting meet and numbers get retyped by hand.
- First describe the processes, then work out 3 years of running costs, only then compare systems.
- Up to ten people who mostly invoice, boxed software at 2,980 CZK one-off is often enough.
- An ERP for 20 people comes to 300,000 to 410,000 CZK over 3 years of running costs, without the partner's work.
- The law requires keeping financial statements 10 years and documents 5 years, not migrating them into a new system.
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system joins sales, purchasing, stock, production and accounting in one database. A salesperson sees what is in stock there, and the accountant doesn't retype invoices. What follows are seven questions to put to every supplier in the same way, three years of costs on an example, and a few mistakes that repeat when firms choose.
Do you need an ERP at all?
Not every firm does. Look at what you get for the money elsewhere.
| When | What is usually enough | Price according to the vendor |
|---|---|---|
| One person keeps the tax records | POHODA Mini or Money S3 Basic | 2,980 CZK or 2,990 CZK one-off, excluding VAT |
| You need stock too | a higher bundle, for example Money S3 Sklad | 9,990 CZK one-off, excluding VAT |
| Sales and stock wait for each other, numbers get retyped | an ERP | depends on scope, see the example below |
POHODA Mini costs 2,980 CZK and the SERVIS service 980 CZK a year. In the year of purchase SERVIS is free. Stormware says Mini suits a sole trader who keeps tax records on one computer. Money S3 Basic costs 2,990 CZK one-off and every new version in the first year is included. Money says it is for small firms without stock and payroll. The prices exclude VAT and are valid on 25 October 2026. POHODA, Money S3 and other boxed products are compared in Pohoda vs Money S3 vs Helios. How to tell that Excel or a boxed product is no longer enough is described in When it's time to move from Excel to an ERP or CRM.
Seven questions before you sign
The questions are our method, not a rule. Write the answers into one table and the differences show at once.
- How many of our processes do you cover without changes? Ask to go through your real cases, not a generic demo. A supplier who answers "all of them" either doesn't know your processes or is counting on changes that aren't in the price yet.
- What will we pay over 3 years? Licence or running costs, the partner's work, support and new versions together.
- Who migrates our data? How many years of history, who checks the balances and what it costs.
- How do we leave if we want to? Data export, access to the database, who owns the custom changes.
- Who will work on the project? Names, roles and a stand-in if someone leaves.
- Where does the system run and who watches it? Backups, new versions, recovery after an outage and where the data lives.
- What happens if there are twice as many of us? The price of another user, another company or another warehouse.
- Do you keep only tax records?one computer, no stockPOHODA Mini or Money S3 Basic
- Do you need stock?sales and stock don't meeta higher bundle, Money S3 Sklad for example
- You retype numbers between systemsconsider an ERP and work out 3 years of running costs
Example: 20 people over 3 years
A firm of twenty with sales, stock and invoices compares two models. The amounts are only the running of the system, you pay the partner's work separately.
- xOffice (open source Odoo): a base of 3,400 CZK a month for the server and backups plus 249 CZK per full user, licence 0 CZK. Over 36 months it comes to (3,400 + 20 × 249) × 36, that is 301,680 CZK. The figures are from the ERP calculator page. Lumenax sells xOffice, so here we are one of the parties.
- Odoo Custom from the vendor: 33.90 EUR per user per month, or 27.90 EUR with annual payment. Twenty people pay 8,136 EUR a year, 24,408 EUR over 36 months, about 594,000 CZK at the Czech National Bank rate of 24.335 CZK from 23 October 2026. With annual payment it's 20,088 EUR, about 488,800 CZK. Nearly every company needs Custom; according to the price list the cheaper Standard plan runs only on Odoo Online without custom modules.
The rows are not directly comparable, because they differ in who runs the system and what you may change. They only show how a price is built.
The partner's work is often the biggest item. In its price list Odoo counts a needs analysis, data import, custom changes, development and training as part of it. According to Odoo, firms under 50 employees usually work directly with Odoo, larger ones with a partner. What such a project costs with Odoo is covered by the overview of Odoo costs in 2026.
How much history to migrate
The Accounting Act in section 31(2) requires you to keep the financial statements and the annual report for 10 years from the end of the accounting period and accounting documents, books and other records for 5 years. The law says the firm must keep them. It doesn't say in which system. By our reading you therefore don't have to migrate everything into the new ERP, but older history has to stay stored and findable. Decide what to migrate with your accountant before you send the supplier a request.
Where a cheap offer lets you down
In its press release of 4 March 2026 on the 2026 ERP Report, Panorama Consulting says more than a quarter of firms went over the project budget and that the most common cause was additional technology needs. Panorama itself sells ERP consulting, so this is an interested source. We couldn't find the exact share because the report itself sits behind a form.
- A price for the licence only. Ask what a needs analysis, data migration, training and support after the start cost.
- You migrate the data yourselves. The accountant then checks the balances at the first closing.
- Custom changes by the hour with no estimate. Ask for an estimate and a monthly cap.
- One person knows the system. Ask for a written description of how the system is built and the name of a stand-in.
- Data in a closed format. Test the export before you sign.
Common questions
How do you choose an ERP for a small firm?
Write down the processes and the number of people who will use the system in two years. Up to ten people without stock and production, boxed accounting software at 2,980 CZK or 2,990 CZK one-off is often enough.
How much does an ERP cost?
Boxed accounting software costs a few thousand koruna one-off, for POHODA Mini plus 980 CZK a year for SERVIS after the first year. An ERP for 20 people comes to 300,000 to 410,000 koruna over three years of running costs by the price lists, plus the partner's work.
How long does it take to roll out an ERP?
For xOffice Lumenax states four to twelve weeks depending on scope and confirms the date after a fit-gap analysis. With other suppliers the time differs, ask for it in writing.
How many years of history should I migrate?
The law requires you to keep financial statements for 10 years and documents for 5 years. What of that you migrate into the new system is not in the law, decide with your accountant.
Is open source ERP secure?
The licence doesn't decide security, operations do. Ask about backups with a verified restore, new versions and where the data lives.
Sources
- Stormware, POHODA price list, valid from 1 Sep 2026, viewed 25 Oct 2026: https://www.stormware.cz/pohoda/cenik.aspx
- Money, Money S3 bundle price list, viewed 25 Oct 2026: https://money.cz/produkty/ekonomicke-systemy/money-s3/cenik/
- Money, Money S3 Basic, viewed 25 Oct 2026: https://money.cz/komplety/money-s3-basic/
- Act No. 563/1991 Coll., on accounting, section 31, viewed 25 Oct 2026: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/1991-563
- Panorama Consulting Group, press release on the 2026 ERP Report, 4 Mar 2026: https://www.panorama-consulting.com/panorama-consulting-group-releases-latest-study-of-erp-implementation-outcomes-across-the-globe/
- Odoo, pricing, viewed 25 Oct 2026: https://www.odoo.com/pricing
- Lumenax, ERP calculator, viewed 25 Oct 2026: https://www.lumenax.cz/kalkulacka-erp
- Czech National Bank, daily exchange rates, 23 Oct 2026: https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni-trhy/devizovy-trh/kurzy-devizoveho-trhu/kurzy-devizoveho-trhu/denni_kurz.txt
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