The Light User is a new licence type in Odoo 20. It costs less than a full user and is meant for employees who only use the system for their own tasks. It also carries an important rule: every active employee record in the Employees app that is not linked to a full user account counts as a Light User and is billed.
This means the Light User can cut the bill sharply for some companies, and add a new cost for others whose employees were free in earlier versions. This guide covers the official definition, access rights, cost, who counts, and what to review before your renewal.
What is a Light User in Odoo 20?
A Light User is someone who uses Odoo to get their own work done, not to run the business. The Odoo Enterprise Subscription Agreement (version 13) defines it as any active user account designated as a Light User in the software, or any active employee record in the HR app that is not linked to an active non-portal user account.
So there are two kinds of Light User:
- A Light login: an employee with a username and password whose access rights all sit inside the Light list defined by Odoo.
- An employee record without a full login: an employee who exists only in the Employees app, without a full user account, even if they never log in.
Both kinds are billed at the Light User price on Odoo Enterprise.
What can a Light User do, and what can they not do?
A Light User can handle their own HR tasks and simple front-line work, but cannot run sales, purchasing, projects or accounting.
| A Light User can | A Light User cannot |
|---|---|
| Manage their own time off, expenses, appraisals, attendance and referrals | Create quotations or sales orders |
| View their own planning and use Field Service | Create purchase orders |
| Work as an inventory barcode operator | Manage projects |
| Use Point of Sale and the manufacturing Shop Floor as an employee | Work in Accounting |
| View their own payslips | Change settings or configure apps |
| Read articles in the Knowledge app | Edit Knowledge articles |
Odoo groups these tasks into two sets: tasks as a user, such as time off, expenses, attendance, planning and Field Service, and tasks as an employee, such as payslips, Point of Sale and the Shop Floor. The second set runs through an employee session, not a full login.
Common tasks that still need a full user
Three everyday tasks fall outside the Light list, and they are where user classification most often goes wrong:
- Approving time off: in the Odoo 20 code, only the employee level of the Time Off app counts as Light. A manager or team lead who approves leave requests needs a full user licence.
- Logging project timesheets: timesheets are not on the Light list, so staff who log billable hours will usually need a full user.
- Sales, purchasing and stock control: creating quotations, raising purchase orders or editing products all require a full user.
This is why the saving is limited in services and consulting firms, where most of the team logs timesheets every day.
How much does a Light User cost?
The Light User price is a small fraction of a full user, and it varies by country. These are the published prices as of 7 October 2026:
| Region | Light User price per month |
|---|---|
| United States | 8.90 US dollars |
| Europe | 7.90 euros per employee |
| India | 195 rupees |
Important notes before relying on any number:
- Odoo prices differently in each country, so check the official Odoo pricing page for the price that applies in Saudi Arabia or Egypt.
- Unofficial figures such as 5.90 or 2.90 US dollars circulate online. Rely only on the official Odoo price for your country.
- Light User licences are ordered through an Odoo Advisor, who prepares a customised quotation.
- Odoo has removed the earlier percentage based Light User discount, and the price is now a flat rate.
- Odoo publishes no minimum number of users, so ask for confirmation in writing.
This change came together with a 20% increase in the Custom plan price, the first pricing change since 2022.
Who counts as a Light User? Employees without a login
Every active employee record that is not linked to a full user account counts as a Light User, and this is the rule that surprises most business owners. Simply creating an employee record in Odoo 20 makes that person a Light User automatically, and the invoice is adjusted accordingly.
| Person in Odoo | Counted as |
|---|---|
| Login with the Light role | Light User |
| Login with any right outside the Light list | Full user |
| Employee record with no login | Light User |
| Employee who only clocks in at a kiosk, badge or fingerprint reader | Light User |
| Employee linked only to a portal login | Light User |
| Archived employee record | Not counted |
| Customer or supplier on the portal | Not counted |
Some companies built leave requests on the portal or in custom modules to avoid paying for logins. Under the Odoo 20 definition, an employee linked only to a portal login is still a Light User. Point of Sale can run on one shared user instead of one account per cashier, but the employee records themselves still count.
How does a Light User become a full user?
Odoo 20 works out each person's role from their access rights, so adding a single right outside the Light list turns them into a full user billed at the full price. The Role field is recalculated every time access rights change: if every right sits on the Light list, the role reads Light, and if even one does not, such as Sales set to own documents only, the role becomes User.
Setting the role back to Light manually removes the rights that do not fit. That protects the invoice, but the employee loses that access. Review roles every time someone changes job.
What does this mean for existing customers at renewal?
For many existing customers the Light User adds cost, because employee records that used to be free can now be billed. The Odoo agreement includes four rules that matter at renewal:
- Immediate notice: you must inform Odoo as soon as your number of users or Light Users exceeds the contracted number.
- List price for extras: any extra user is charged at the list price on the day you go over, for the rest of the subscription term.
- Renewal increase: renewal prices can rise by up to 7% a year if your current price is below list price.
- Automatic counting: the software itself reports your number of users and Light Users to Odoo.
Does staying on Odoo 19 avoid the charge?
It may delay it for now. The definition starts with the words where supported by the customer's version of the software, and the Light User role is new in Odoo 20. It is not a long term plan: once a version leaves support, Odoo adds a 25% surcharge calculated on your users and Light Users. Odoo has not published a definitive answer yet, so ask your Odoo Advisor for confirmation in writing. The upgrade tools for Odoo 20 are expected by the end of November 2026.
Light User, full user or portal user?
The golden rule: put each person in the cheapest type that covers their job. That is where the real saving comes from.
| User type | Who it is for | Access | Billed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light User | Employees doing their own tasks or front-line work | Self-service, Point of Sale, Shop Floor, barcode, planning | Yes, at the Light price |
| Full user | People who run sales, purchasing, projects and accounts | Full apps according to access rights | Yes, at the full price |
| Portal user | Customers, suppliers and outside partners | Their own documents on the portal | No |
The portal user is free, but only for people who are not your employees.
Worked examples: saving or extra cost?
Light Users save the most where many employees do simple work, and raise the cost where employee records used to be free. These examples are illustrations only and assume 25 US dollars a month for a full user and 8.90 US dollars for a Light User:
| Case | All full users | With Light Users | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factory with 40 staff (8 office staff, 32 operators on the Shop Floor and attendance kiosk) | 1,000 US dollars | 484.80 US dollars | Saving of 515.20 US dollars a month |
| The same factory if the 32 operators were free employee records before | 200 US dollars | 484.80 US dollars | Increase of 284.80 US dollars a month |
| Retail chain (10 managers and office staff, 45 cashiers) | 1,375 US dollars | 650.50 US dollars | Saving of 724.50 US dollars a month |
| Services firm with 60 staff (50 log timesheets, 10 use self-service only) | 1,500 US dollars | 1,339 US dollars | Limited saving of 161 US dollars |
Work out your own numbers at your country's prices before making any decision.
Setting up a Light User step by step
A Light User is set from the user form in four steps, then you confirm the role did not change:
- Open Settings, then Users, and select the user or create a new one.
- On the Access Rights tab, set the Role field to Light.
- Grant only rights from the Light list, such as Time Off, Attendances or Point of Sale.
- Save, reopen the user and confirm the role still reads Light.
Odoo 20 also lets you manage the user lifecycle directly from the employee form: invite, resend the invitation, deactivate, reactivate and reset the password. Odoo Community has the same Role field, but there it only limits access, because Community has no user licences.
Checklist before your renewal
Run these steps before every renewal so your quotation matches the people who actually use Odoo:
- Archive the employee records of people who have left the company.
- Count active employees who have no full login.
- Count employees who only clock in at a kiosk, badge or fingerprint reader.
- List every user and what they do each week.
- Move self-service and front-line staff to the Light role.
- Check approvers and timesheet users, who need a full user.
- Test the new roles on a copy of your database.
- Get a written quotation from your Odoo Advisor.
- Review roles every quarter, because job changes gradually bring rights back.
Frequently asked questions
Does an employee without a login count?
Yes. Any active employee record not linked to a full account counts as a Light User. Archived records do not count.
Are portal users free?
Yes for customers, suppliers and outside partners, but an employee linked only to a portal login is still a Light User.
Can a Light User approve time off or log timesheets?
No. Approving leave needs higher rights in the Time Off app, and timesheets are not on the Light list.
Can a portal or a custom module avoid the charge?
Not under the Odoo 20 terms. An active employee record counts regardless of how the person accesses the system.
Is the Light role available in Odoo Community?
Yes, but there it only limits access and carries no fee.
Does the 25% surcharge for unsupported versions include Light Users?
Yes. It is calculated on the number of users and Light Users together.
Do I still need full users?
Yes in practice. Someone has to run sales, purchasing, accounts and settings.
The bottom line
The Light User is a real saving for Point of Sale, factory, warehouse and field service teams, and a new cost for companies whose employee records were free. The difference is decided by the shape of your team, not by the headline price.
Archive leavers, count employee records, map every role carefully, keep approvers and timesheet users on full licences, and get your quotation in writing.
At Sadeem Cloud, as a certified Odoo partner in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, we review the users and employee records in your database, design roles that fit the Light licence, and plan your upgrade to Odoo 20 safely.
Talk to us about reviewing your Odoo licences before renewal
Sources
- iVentureTeam: Odoo 20 Light User
- A1 Consulting: What Is a Light User in Odoo
- Cybrosys: What Is an Odoo Light User
- Odoo forum: Is every employee in Odoo 20 a Light User
- Odoo pricing page