HubSpot custom objects let you store and manage any type of data that doesn’t fit into the standard CRM objects (contacts, companies, deals, and tickets). If your business tracks memberships, properties, vehicles, subscriptions, projects, or any other unique entity, custom objects give you a dedicated place to manage them inside HubSpot.
This guide covers what custom objects are, when to use them, and how to create and connect them to the rest of your CRM.
Identify the entity your team needs to manage — for example, property listings, vehicle contracts, memberships, or service projects. Write down the key data fields you need for each record.
Go to Settings > Data Management > Objects > Custom Objects, then click “Create custom object.” Name the object, set the primary display property (the label shown on each record), and save.
Inside the object settings, add the fields your team needs to capture. Use the same property types available elsewhere in HubSpot (single-line text, number, date, dropdown, etc.).
Associate your custom object with contacts, companies, deals, or tickets. This is what makes the data relational: you can see a contact’s linked memberships or a deal’s connected properties directly from each record.
Create filtered list views to segment custom object records. If your object has stages (such as a booking moving from inquiry to confirmed), set up a pipeline to track progression through those stages.
What are HubSpot custom objects?
HubSpot comes with four standard CRM objects out of the box: contacts, companies, deals, and tickets. These cover most business needs, but not all. A property management company tracks units and lease agreements. A school tracks students separately from parent contacts. A vehicle dealer tracks vehicle inventory alongside customer deals.
Custom objects solve this by letting you create a new object type with its own properties, pipelines, views, and associations. They behave the same way as standard objects in HubSpot, and your team can access them directly from the CRM navigation.
When should you use a custom object?
Use a custom object when you have a core business entity that needs its own records, properties, and associations, and that entity doesn’t naturally map to contacts, companies, deals, or tickets.
Common use cases across Southeast Asian businesses:
- Education: student enrollments, programs, cohorts
- Real estate: property listings, units, lease agreements
- Hospitality: reservations, room types, loyalty tiers
- Automotive: vehicle stock, service records, warranty claims
- Membership businesses: subscriptions, membership tiers, renewal cycles
- Professional services: projects, deliverables, contracts
If your team currently tracks this data in a spreadsheet, a separate system, or by adding notes to contact records, a custom object is likely the right structural fix.
How do custom objects differ from custom properties?
Custom properties add extra fields to existing objects. A custom property on the contact object might be “preferred language” or “intake year.” Custom properties extend what you can capture on a standard object.
Custom objects create an entirely new object type. You would choose a custom object when the entity itself doesn’t belong under an existing object. A “membership” is not a contact or a deal. It is its own thing, with its own data and its own relationships to other records.
How do you create associations between custom objects and standard objects?
Associations define how records are linked. When you create a custom object, HubSpot will prompt you to define which standard objects it can be associated with. Options include:
- Contacts (a membership belongs to a contact)
- Companies (a property belongs to a company)
- Deals (a vehicle is tied to a deal)
- Tickets (a project has support tickets)
- Other custom objects (a project has multiple deliverables)
Once associations are set, both records will show the linked entity in a card on the record page. If you look at a contact’s CRM record, you’ll see their associated memberships listed. If you view a membership record, you’ll see the linked contact. This two-way visibility replaces manual cross-referencing.
Can you use custom objects in workflows and reporting?
Yes. Custom objects work within HubSpot’s automation and reporting tools, though the depth of integration depends on your subscription tier.
- Workflows: trigger automations based on custom object property changes or record creation. For example, when a membership’s renewal date passes, trigger a follow-up sequence.
- Lists: create lists based on custom object associations, then use those lists for email targeting or segmentation.
- Reporting: build custom reports that include custom object data, including association counts and property values.
- Pipelines: if your custom object has stages, add a pipeline to visualise and manage record progression through those stages.
Access to full workflow and reporting functionality for custom objects typically requires a Professional or Enterprise subscription on the relevant Hub. Check your plan before building out a custom object workflow.
What subscription plan do you need for custom objects?
Custom objects are available on HubSpot Enterprise plans across Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and Operations Hub. Professional plans have more limited access.
If you’re on a lower-tier plan and need to track additional entity types, the practical workarounds are to use custom properties on an existing object, or to restructure your data model to fit within the standard objects. Both have limits, and most teams that regularly hit those limits find the Enterprise upgrade worthwhile for the data structure improvements alone.
How do you import data into a custom object?
HubSpot’s import tool supports custom objects. You can import a CSV with records for the custom object, and if you include association columns, HubSpot will link the imported records to existing contacts or companies based on matching property values (typically email address for contacts).
For large or complex migrations, map the data schema carefully before import. Associations that don’t resolve cleanly often need a second pass, either via re-import or through the HubSpot API. Our HubSpot data quality guide covers common import issues and how to catch them before they create duplicate or orphaned records.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create multiple custom object types?
Yes. Enterprise plans allow multiple custom object types. The exact limit depends on your contract tier. Most teams create between two and five custom objects before the data model becomes complex enough to require careful planning and documentation.
Can a contact be associated with multiple custom object records?
Yes. A contact can be associated with multiple records of the same custom object type. A student contact might be associated with three different enrollment records across different intakes, for example.
Can I use custom objects with HubSpot’s native integrations?
Some native integrations support custom objects, and more are being added over time. If you rely on a specific third-party tool, check the integration documentation to confirm custom object support before building your data model around it.
What’s the difference between a custom object pipeline and a deal pipeline?
They work the same way structurally. A pipeline on a custom object tracks stages for that object type. A deal pipeline tracks deal stages. If your custom object records have a progression (inquiry, approved, active, expired), a pipeline gives you visual stage management and reporting on where records are concentrated at any point in time.
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