Odoo 18 Discuss is the messaging layer built into every Odoo database, Community included, at no extra licence cost. It provides channels, direct messages, mentions and audio and video calls, and it is the same engine behind the chatter on every record, so a conversation about an invoice stays attached to that invoice.
In fast-paced businesses, quick and clear communication is critical. Traditional email is too slow for everyday teamwork. Messaging apps like Odoo Discuss bring conversations into real time, improving decision-making and productivity — especially for remote or hybrid teams.
Odoo Discuss keeps all your messages, alerts, and updates inside the same system your teams already use — no switching apps, no losing context.
Overview of Odoo Discuss
Odoo Discuss is a real-time messaging platform that's built directly into the Odoo ERP environment.
Key Features
- Public channels for team-wide discussions
- Private groups for project or department teams
- 1-to-1 direct messaging
- Instant notifications and activity feeds
- Integrated messaging inside tasks, projects, sales, and support tickets
All communication happens securely inside your own Odoo server — protecting privacy and improving efficiency.
Creating Channels and Private Groups
Organize communication around your teams, projects, or topics by creating channels:
- Public Channels: Open to everyone (e.g., #general, #company-news, #sales-team)
- Private Channels: Invite-only groups for confidential discussions
- Multi-company support: Keep communications separated if managing multiple businesses
Channels help reduce inbox overload and focus conversations where they belong.
Direct Messaging and Notifications
Need to have a private conversation or quick chat? Odoo Discuss supports:
- Direct 1-to-1 chats between employees
- Group chats with multiple participants
- Real-time push notifications on web and mobile
- Tagging (@mention) users to get their attention
Missed a message? No problem — all conversations are archived and searchable.
Seamless Integration with Other Odoo Apps
What makes Discuss so powerful is its deep integration with every other Odoo app:
- Chat inside projects, tasks, and sales orders
- Auto-notifications when tasks are assigned or updated
- Customer support teams discuss tickets internally before responding
- Instant messaging inside HR recruitment workflows
This means your teams communicate exactly where the work happens — without needing to jump between platforms.
Mobile and Remote Team Collaboration
Today's teams work from anywhere. Odoo Discuss is fully mobile-ready:
- Android and iOS apps available
- Push notifications for new messages
- Mobile-friendly messaging interface
Remote teams stay connected, productive, and in sync — whether at home, in the office, or on the move.
Best Practices for Using Odoo Discuss
- Create channels for each department or project
- Use tagging (@mention) to direct attention where needed
- Establish guidelines for quick responses vs formal emails
- Pin important messages or announcements
- Integrate with task/project management for seamless workflows
Conclusion
Odoo 18 Discuss makes internal communication faster, simpler, and more integrated with your daily operations. It's the modern replacement for endless email chains — driving real collaboration across your business.
Want to enable smarter teamwork with Odoo? Let our team help you set it up!
Questions we get asked
Is Odoo 18 Discuss free?
Yes. Discuss is the mail module, licensed LGPL-3, and it is installed in every Odoo 18 database because almost every other app depends on it. Community and Enterprise get the same channels, direct messages, mentions and notification inbox. You do not buy Discuss separately, and it runs on your own Odoo server rather than on a third-party chat service.
Can you make voice or video calls in Odoo 18 Discuss?
Yes. Discuss includes browser-based audio and video calls with screen sharing, inside any channel or direct message, so a thread can turn into a quick call without moving to another tool. Because the call runs through your own Odoo deployment rather than an external meeting service, there is no separate account for people to sign in to.
What is the difference between a Discuss channel and the chatter?
A channel is a standing conversation about a team or topic, which people join and leave. The chatter is the message thread pinned to one record, such as a task, an invoice or a ticket, where followers are notified and the history stays with that record forever. Both run on the same Discuss engine, so mentions and notifications behave identically.
Can Discuss handle private conversations?
Yes. Odoo 18 offers public channels anyone can join, private channels that are invitation-only, group conversations and one-to-one direct messages. Visibility follows Odoo's own user and group rules, so only members of a private channel can read or search its history. Administrators manage membership from the channel itself rather than through a separate chat console.
Does Discuss replace email?
Not entirely. Discuss handles the fast internal back-and-forth, while the chatter still sends email out to customers and logs their replies against the record through mail aliases. In practice teams use channels for coordination and keep each record's chatter as the auditable trail of what was actually said to the customer.