HubSpot Custom Objects: Complete Guide
Quick Summary:
Custom objects let you model data unique to your business -- beyond Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets -- with full support for associations, workflows, and reporting.
What Are Custom Objects?
Custom objects extend HubSpot's data model beyond the standard objects, letting you build a genuinely custom structure for data specific to your business -- properties, memberships, equipment, whatever your industry actually needs to track. Custom objects support the same associations, automation, and reporting capability as standard objects.
⚠️ Before You Start
Custom objects require an Enterprise-level subscription. Before planning a data model around them, confirm your actual HubSpot tier supports this feature -- it's a meaningful step up from Professional.
How to Create One
Go to Settings → Objects → Custom Objects and click Create Object.
Define the object's name, properties, and required fields.
Configure associations to standard objects (Contacts, Companies, Deals) or other custom objects.
Set up a pipeline if the object represents a process with stages.
Build views, workflows, and reports referencing the new object.
A Real-World Example
A property management company needs to track individual rental units -- address, square footage, current tenant, lease end date -- data that doesn't fit any standard HubSpot object. A custom "Units" object, associated with both Contacts (tenants) and Companies (property owners), models this cleanly, with its own reporting on occupancy and lease renewal timing.
💡 Pro Tip
Plan associations carefully before building -- retrofitting relationships between a custom object and existing records after significant data already exists is meaningfully more work than designing the associations correctly from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which HubSpot tiers support custom objects?
Custom objects require Enterprise-level subscriptions across the relevant Hub (Marketing, Sales, Service, or CMS) -- not available on lower tiers.
Can custom objects be associated with standard objects like Contacts and Deals?
Yes, custom objects support associations to standard objects and to each other, letting you build genuinely custom data relationships specific to your business.
Can custom object records be used in Workflows?
Yes, custom object-based workflows support the same automation capabilities as standard object workflows, including triggers based on custom object properties.
Can custom objects appear in reports alongside standard object data?
Yes, custom objects are reportable, and can be combined with standard object data in custom reports for cross-object analysis.
Is there a limit to how many custom objects a portal can have?
Yes, limits vary by subscription -- worth checking current allowances if planning a data model with multiple custom objects.
Can custom objects have their own pipeline, similar to deals or tickets?
Yes, if relevant to the use case, a custom object can be configured with its own pipeline and stages.
Do custom objects support the same property types as standard objects?
Yes, custom objects support the full range of standard property types (text, number, date, picklist, etc.) available elsewhere in HubSpot.
Can custom objects be created and managed via API, not just the UI?
Yes, the CRM API supports full custom object management programmatically, useful for integrations that need to create the object structure itself, not just records.
What\'s a common real-world use case for custom objects?
Industry-specific data that doesn't fit standard objects -- properties for a real estate company, memberships for a subscription business, equipment for a rental company.
Can custom object records be searched and filtered the same way as Contacts?
Yes, custom objects get the same list view, filtering, and search capability as standard objects once properly configured.
Related Articles