--- title: "HubSpot Custom Objects: When and How to Set Them Up" description: "HubSpot custom objects explained: when to use them, how to model one, create it, set up associations and report on it, with a finish line for every step." image: https://www.finemediabw.com/hubfs/Blog/HubSpot%20Services/Consideration/HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects%20-%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up/hubspot-custom-objects-share-1200x630.png --- [![Fine\_Media\_logo\_Set\_HubSpot Website Logo Stacked](https://www.finemediabw.com/hubfs/Fine_Media_logo_Set_HubSpot%20Website%20Logo%20Stacked.svg "Fine_Media_logo_Set_HubSpot Website Logo Stacked")](https://www.finemediabw.com/) - Solutions - [Inbound Marketing](https://www.finemediabw.com/inbound-marketing) - [Website Design](https://www.finemediabw.com/website-design-and-development) - [Sales Enablement](https://www.finemediabw.com/sales-enablement) - [Customer Success](https://www.finemediabw.com/customer-success) - [HubSpot Services](https://www.finemediabw.com/hubspot-services) - [Insights](https://www.finemediabw.com/blog) - [About](https://www.finemediabw.com/about-us) Show submenu for About - [About us](https://www.finemediabw.com/about-us) - [Meet the Team](https://www.finemediabw.com/our-team) - [Our Story](https://www.finemediabw.com/our-story) - Solutions - [Inbound Marketing](https://www.finemediabw.com/inbound-marketing) - [Website Design](https://www.finemediabw.com/website-design-and-development) - [Sales Enablement](https://www.finemediabw.com/sales-enablement) - [Customer Success](https://www.finemediabw.com/customer-success) - [HubSpot Services](https://www.finemediabw.com/hubspot-services) - [Insights](https://www.finemediabw.com/blog) - [About](https://www.finemediabw.com/about-us) Show submenu for About - [About us](https://www.finemediabw.com/about-us) - [Meet the Team](https://www.finemediabw.com/our-team) - [Our Story](https://www.finemediabw.com/our-story) - [Contact us](https://www.finemediabw.com/contact) - [Contact us](https://www.finemediabw.com/contact) ![HubSpot Custom Objects: When to Use Them and How to Set Them Up. White type on a deep blue-grey ground beside the HubSpot logo, Propello.](https://www.finemediabw.com/hubfs/Blog/HubSpot%20Services/Consideration/HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects%20-%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up/hubspot-custom-objects-share-1200x630.png) Oct 15, 2026, 4:09:25 PM | [HubSpot](https://www.finemediabw.com/blog/tag/hubspot) # HubSpot Custom Objects: When to Use Them and How to Set Them Up HubSpot custom objects explained: when to use them, how to model one, create it, set up associations and report on it, with a finish line for every step. Share - [mailto:?&subject=HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects:%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up&body=HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects:%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up%0A(https%3A%2F%2Fwww.finemediabw.com%2Fblog%2Fhubspot-custom-objects)](mailto:?&subject=HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects:%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up&body=HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects:%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up%0A(https%3A%2F%2Fwww.finemediabw.com%2Fblog%2Fhubspot-custom-objects)) - - - If you run revenue operations or own the CRM at a growing B2B company, HubSpot custom objects let you store custom object data that does not fit the standard objects, such as contacts, companies, deals and tickets. Use a custom object in HubSpot only when a real business need calls for its own records, properties and relationships. This guide is for CEOs, CROs, revenue operations leads and the HubSpot admins who will build the work. You get a test for when to use custom objects, six steps to implement custom objects with a finish line for each, and the mistakes that leave a data model harder to use than before.   | **HubSpot Custom Object** A record type that you define yourself in HubSpot, with its own properties, associations and optional pipeline, to track business data that the standard CRM objects do not cover. | | --- | ## By the end you will have a custom object that earns its place A good custom object is small, clearly owned and tied to the records your teams already use. - A written reason why a default object could not hold this data. - One named custom object, with a primary display property that identifies each record. - Associations to contacts, companies, deals or tickets, with labels that say what each link means. - One report or workflow that proves the object is used, with an owner for the data. ## What to have in place before you start ![Four layers stacked from the bottom, clean standard data, the right permissions, an owner and a business question, held together by the custom object.](https://www.finemediabw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/HubSpot%20Services/Consideration/HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects%20-%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up/hs07-custom-object-readiness-blog-1600x900.png?width=1600&height=900&name=hs07-custom-object-readiness-blog-1600x900.png) A custom object adds a new shape to your CRM data, so the existing shape needs to be in good order first. Check these four points before you open your HubSpot account. - **A business question that needs the data.** Write the question in one sentence, for example "Which batches of a product do our best customers buy?" If you cannot, you are collecting data without a use. - **Reasonably clean standard data.** A custom object links to other objects such as contacts, companies and deals. If those records are duplicated or incomplete, the new links inherit the mess. The guide on [how to clean a HubSpot CRM and keep it clean](https://www.finemediabw.com/blog/how-to-maintain-a-hubspot-crm) covers that groundwork. - **The right permissions.** HubSpot states that [account access permissions are required to create, edit and manage custom objects](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/object-settings/create-custom-objects). Creating association labels needs Super Admin permissions. - **An owner for the object.** One person decides what goes in, what the properties mean and when a record is archived. Check your subscription and limits before you commit. HubSpot notes on its own help page that, depending on your subscription, there are limits on the number of custom objects and properties you may have, and it points to the HubSpot Products & Services catalog for the current figures. ### Why data quality comes first Poor data erodes trust fast. Salesforce's 2024 sales research found that [only 35% of sales professionals completely trust the accuracy of their organization's data](https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/sales-ai-statistics-2024/). A new custom object that duplicates existing fields will lower that trust further, because people will not know which record to believe. ### Where this sits in your wider CRM design A custom object is one decision inside a larger design. Your [CRM architecture](https://www.finemediabw.com/blog/crm-architecture-modern-gtm) sets out which objects hold which facts, who owns them and how data moves between systems. Decide the architecture first, and your own object becomes one clear piece of it. ## Custom objects in HubSpot in six steps ![Screenshot from the HubSpot Knowledge Base showing the Create an object from scratch panel with singular and plural names, a description and the primary display property.](https://www.finemediabw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/HubSpot%20Services/Consideration/HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects%20-%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up/hs07-create-custom-object-panel-blog-1600x900.png?width=1600&height=900&name=hs07-create-custom-object-panel-blog-1600x900.png) Each step ends with what done looks like. Work in order, because later steps depend on earlier choices, and some choices cannot be changed once the object exists. ### 1. Test whether existing objects can do the job Start by trying not to create a custom object. HubSpot lists questions to ask before you define one: can an existing CRM object and its properties organize the data instead, could the data overlap with an existing object, and do you need features that belong to standard objects? Those features matter. Per HubSpot, bulk marketing emails can only be sent to contacts, and deal attribution reports and sales forecasts are tied to deals, so data in other objects cannot use them. HubSpot's help page also offers a clear rule through its examples. A school that wants separate Parent and Teacher objects is told not to, because one person can be both. A contact type property on contacts does the job. A company that wants a Notes object is also told not to, because a custom object should not replace activities. Standard objects come predefined in HubSpot's CRM, while a custom object is one you create for a specific business need. It fits when the thing you track is its own entity with its own life. HubSpot's examples include a Pets object for a kennel and a Cars object for a dealership, where each record needs links to the people involved. Other common cases include subscriptions, projects, courses or product batches. You are done when you can say in one sentence what the new records represent, and why default objects cannot hold them. ### 2. Model the custom object on paper before you touch HubSpot Start with the object name. HubSpot asks for a singular and a plural name, such as Pet and Pets, and the custom object's name cannot match an existing HubSpot-defined object. Then choose the primary display property. HubSpot defines it as the property used to name a record, and it is required to create a custom object record. It appears as the first column on the index page and in the top left of each record. For companies, the company name plays that role. HubSpot's own example is an Orders object whose primary display property, Order number, should require unique values, so no two records share the same value. Add a secondary property or two, the extra identifying fields that appear on the record's profile card under the primary property. A Pets object might use Type of pet. For custom objects, these also work as quick filters on the index page, which helps users identify records fast. Then list the other custom properties you need, with a property type for each: single line text, number, date, checkbox or dropdown. Keep the list short. Every one of these custom fields is something a person must fill in and keep accurate. Finally, decide which other objects the new records will associate with, and what labels describe each link. You are done when one page lists the object name, the primary and secondary properties, the other custom fields and the associations you plan. ### 3. Create a custom object in the data model With the model agreed, build it. HubSpot's steps to create a custom object are: - Click **More**, then go to **Data Management** and **Data Model**. - Click **Edit data model**. - Next to **All objects** in the left panel, click the **+** icon, then **Custom object**. - Enter the singular and plural names and, if you wish, an optional object description that tells users what the object is for. - Set the primary display property, its property type and, if needed, the checkbox that requires unique values. - Add any secondary properties, then click **Create** at the bottom of the panel. Take care with the internal name. HubSpot explains that the label of a property can change, but the internal name is used by integrations and the HubSpot API and cannot be edited once the object is created. Treat it as permanent and pick a plain, consistent name. No coding is needed: [HubSpot's product page](https://www.hubspot.com/products/custom-objects) says its custom object builder lets you create custom objects without developers or coding. Developers can also work through the [custom objects API](https://developers.hubspot.com/docs/api-reference/legacy/crm/objects/custom-objects/guide), which retrieves up to 100 records in a batch request, so records can be created manually or via API. You are done when the object appears in the data model and in the CRM menu, and its internal names are recorded in your documentation. ### 4. Define associations and labels with other objects A custom object on its own is a list. Its value comes from connecting it to the records your teams already work in. HubSpot states that before you can add associated records to custom object records, you need to create the association relationship in your settings. You can set up associations with objects such as contacts, companies, deals and tickets. Open the graph view in the data model, find your object, choose **View all associated objects**, click the add association icon in the upper right of the card and select the object in the dialog box. HubSpot also notes that [associations are always two-way](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/records/understand-objects). If record A is associated with record B, record B is also associated with record A. A Pet linked to a contact shows on the contact record as well, and a person looking at the contact gets a complete view. Next, add association labels where one link needs more meaning. HubSpot describes [association labels](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/object-settings/create-and-use-association-labels) as a way to define the relationship further, for example a contact labeled Buyer on a deal. A label can be a single label that applies to both sides, such as Partner, or a pair, such as Manager and Employee. HubSpot allows up to 50 labels per object pair and says labels can be used to segment records, build reports and create workflows. You are done when each link you planned exists, each ambiguous link has a label, and you have associated a test record from each side to confirm it appears both ways. ### 5. Create custom object records and keep the data clean Now fill the object, in a way you can keep up. HubSpot says [custom object records can be created](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/records/use-custom-objects) manually from the object index page or through other HubSpot tools. To add a new custom object record by hand, go to **CRM**, select the object, click **Add** and choose **Create new**. Then enter the property values and pick the records to associate. For volume, HubSpot lists further routes to create records: - **Imports.** Move data from a spreadsheet or another CRM. - **Salesforce sync.** HubSpot supports a custom object sync from Salesforce. - **Forms.** If a visitor submits a form with a unique value for the primary display property, a record is created automatically. - **Workflows.** The Create record action can build records, provided the custom object has a defined relationship with the workflow's object. Set a rule for duplicates and archiving. HubSpot gives guidance on merging duplicate custom object records, but prevention is cheaper: unique primary values, one owner and a regular data audit. You are done when a small, real set of records exists, each linked to the right contacts or companies, and one person has reviewed them for accuracy. ### 6. Report on the object and use custom objects in workflows An object nobody reports on will fade. Give it a job in a pipeline, a workflow or a report in the first month. HubSpot states that all objects are powered by the same data platform, which lets you associate records and create reports on them. A report showing custom object data next to deals or companies is where the model starts to pay off, and association labels can narrow it to specific records. If the process has stages, add a pipeline. HubSpot's dealership example creates a custom object pipeline that tracks cars as they move through stages such as new, inventory, in the purchasing process and sold. HubSpot also supports custom object based workflows, so a record entering a stage can trigger tasks, notifications or updates. You can set enrollment triggers on the object's own properties, and these automated workflows save manual follow-up. Because the sales team, the marketing team and service teams share the same CRM data, a well-linked custom object gives each of them a fuller view of a customer. You are done when one report, workflow or pipeline built on the object is live, its owner is named, and a review date is in the diary. ## Mistakes to avoid with custom objects ![Three stage cards, deciding, modeling and creating, with six custom object mistakes listed under the stage where each happens.](https://www.finemediabw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/HubSpot%20Services/Consideration/HubSpot%20Custom%20Objects%20-%20When%20to%20Use%20Them%20and%20How%20to%20Set%20Them%20Up/hs07-custom-object-leaks-blog-1600x900.png?width=1600&height=900&name=hs07-custom-object-leaks-blog-1600x900.png) Most problems come from the same few choices. Check your plan against this list. - **Duplicating a standard object.** A Customers object next to Companies splits one fact across two places, and standard reports and bulk emails stop seeing it. - **Replacing activities.** Notes, calls and meetings already have timelines, reports and tagging. A custom object that mimics them adds steps and creates conflicting copies. - **Skipping the model.** Properties added on impulse give you a record that is hard to report on and hard to explain. - **Choosing a weak primary property.** If two records can share the same value, searches return the wrong one. - **Forgetting the permanent parts.** Internal names cannot be edited after creation, so a rushed name stays. - **Leaving associations undefined.** Without them, records sit alone and nobody can see the customer's full picture. ## What you gain when this is done properly A well-designed custom object puts the data your business actually runs on inside the CRM, linked to the people who matter, instead of messy workarounds on the side. Each team gains something different. ### Sales gets the full picture on every deal Sellers see the product, project, asset or order tied to a deal on the same screen, so they stop asking for context in side channels. Their conversations start from the facts of the account, which helps them qualify leads and protect sales performance. A record of the specific products each customer owns also shows where an upsell is likely. ### Marketing segments on what customers actually own Marketing can use associated custom object data to build more precise lists and to report on which activity leads to which outcome. An Events object can record attendance, which sharpens lead qualification criteria. That makes follow-up relevant, and it makes budget decisions easier to defend. ### Customer success manages what was sold Customer success tracks the real items behind a contract: the subscriptions, installations or courses in use. The team can spot gaps, plan renewals and answer questions with records instead of memory. A pipeline on a Projects object suits service teams, and tracking how often each type of request arrives shows where to improve. Our guide to [HubSpot CRM features and the unified customer record](https://www.finemediabw.com/blog/hubspot-crm-features-unified-customer-record) shows how that single view comes together. ## Design the data model before you build it Custom objects work best when they are rare, deliberate and connected. Test the standard objects first, model on paper, create the object with permanent names in mind, link it with labeled associations, and give it a report within the first month. Propello designs and builds connected go-to-market systems on HubSpot. If you are weighing a custom object, or your data model has grown unevenly and you want it reviewed before more is added, an audit is the place to start. [Book a Propello GTM Audit](https://www.finemediabw.com/contact) ## Frequently asked questions What are custom objects in HubSpot? They are record types you define yourself, with their own properties, associations and optional pipeline. HubSpot describes them as a way to track business-specific data that fits outside its standard objects, such as a Pets object for a kennel or a Cars object for a dealership. How do you create a custom object in HubSpot? Go to Data Management, open the Data Model, click Edit data model, add a custom object with the plus icon, and name it. Then set the primary display property, add any secondary properties and click Create. Define associations afterward so the records can link to contacts and deals. How many custom objects can you create in HubSpot? The limit depends on your subscription. HubSpot says there are limits on the number of custom objects and properties you may have, and it directs you to its Products and Services catalog for the current figures. Check that page and your account before you plan several objects. When should you use a custom object instead of a standard object? Use one when the thing you track is its own entity that contacts, companies, deals and tickets cannot represent. If a property on an existing object would do, use that. A custom object should not copy a standard object or replace activities such as notes. Can you report on custom object data in HubSpot? Yes. HubSpot says all objects are powered by the same data platform, so you can associate records and create reports on them. Association labels can also scope what a report shows, which helps when one record has several kinds of link. ![Tumisang Bogwasi](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/77d7e2eaad8ff71b24463dcc39a31e9e) ### Written By: Tumisang Bogwasi Tumisang Bogwasi is the founder and CEO of Propello, a HubSpot partner that designs and builds connected go-to-market systems. 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