What is a HubSpot custom object?
A HubSpot custom object is a record type you define yourself, alongside contacts, companies, deals and tickets, for something your business manages that does not fit them: equipment, locations, contracts or applications. It has its own properties, associations to other records, and on Enterprise its own pipelines, workflows and reports.
This guide is for admins and RevOps leads deciding whether they need one, often while weighing an upgrade to Enterprise. Objects describe what you manage; pipelines describe the process it goes through. Keeping those two ideas apart avoids most custom object mistakes.
When should you use a custom object?
When the thing has its own identity, its own properties and a one-to-many relationship with contacts or companies. If one company has many sites, many vehicles or many contracts, and each needs its own details, history and status, a custom object fits. If it is a single fact about a record, it is a property.
| Situation | Usually the right model |
|---|---|
| One fact about a contact or company (contract end date, plan type) | Property |
| Different kinds of the same thing (parent and teacher, buyer and user) | Property such as contact type, or association labels |
| Something you sell and forecast | Deals, with products and line items |
| Support requests with a status | Tickets |
| Delivery work after a sale | Projects object, if activated |
| Many items per company, each with its own details and status | Custom object |
| Records synced from another system with their own IDs (assets, policies, accounts) | Custom object |
What should you try before a custom object?
Properties, association labels and HubSpot's own objects. HubSpot's documentation warns against custom objects for things a property describes, such as a contact type, or that activities already cover, such as notes. Built-in features also stay tied to standard objects: marketing email goes to contacts, and forecasts and deal attribution run on deals.
- Properties: for single values on an existing record.
- Association labels: to describe how records relate, such as "decision maker" or "billing contact". They need Professional or Enterprise.
- Activatable objects: HubSpot lets Super Admins activate objects such as projects, appointments, courses, listings and services from the data model. Check which ones your subscription supports before building your own.
- Leads: a separate leads object for prospecting, on Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise.
Which HubSpot tier do custom objects need?
Enterprise. When we checked HubSpot's documentation in October 2026, custom objects needed an Enterprise subscription of a hub such as Marketing, Sales, Service, Data, Content or Smart CRM, and custom object workflows, reports and pipelines were Enterprise-only too. Limits on objects, records and properties are set in HubSpot's product catalog.
If custom objects are the main reason for an upgrade, compare the cost against what you would lose by modeling the data another way. Our Professional vs Enterprise guide lists the other differences.
How do you set up a custom object properly?
Design it on paper first: the name, the primary display property, the properties, the associations and the process it goes through. Then create it in the data model, add properties and associations, set up the pipeline if it has one, and import a sample before connecting workflows, reports and integrations.
- 01 DesignName, display property, relationships
- 02 CreateData model, primary display property
- 03 PropertiesOnly what the process needs
- 04 AssociationsContacts, companies, deals, labels
- 05 PipelineIf the object moves through stages
- 06 Test and connectSample import, workflows, reports
- Design it. Agree the singular and plural names and the primary display property, the value people will recognize each record by. Internal names cannot be changed afterwards.
- Create it in the data model, under Data Management. Mark the primary display property unique if it holds an ID from another system.
- Add only the properties the process needs, with clear owners, as you would for any object.
- Define associations before linking records, with labels where the relationship has more than one meaning.
- Add a pipeline if the object moves through stages, with exit criteria like a deal pipeline.
- Import a sample, then connect workflows, segments, reports and integrations, and document the model.
What are the common custom object mistakes?
Building objects for things a property describes, duplicating a standard object because its name did not fit, creating objects with no associations, which leaves them orphaned, building before the data model is agreed, and forgetting that marketing email, forecasting and attribution stay on contacts and deals.
- Objects instead of properties: each object adds screens, permissions and reports to maintain.
- Shadow deals: a custom "Opportunity" object loses forecasting and deal reporting.
- No owner: custom objects drift like any other part of the portal without one.
- Hard to undo: deleted objects cannot be restored, and internal names are permanent.
Not sure you need one? Bring your data model to a free 30-minute call and we will tell you whether a custom object, a property or an existing object fits.
Custom object checklist
Key takeaway: A custom object is the right answer when something has its own identity, details and many-to-one relationships. Try properties, labels and HubSpot's own objects first, and design it fully before you build.
Frequently asked questions
Which HubSpot plans include custom objects?
Enterprise. When we checked in October 2026, custom objects needed an Enterprise subscription of a hub such as Marketing, Sales, Service, Data, Content or Smart CRM. Custom object workflows, reports and pipelines also need Enterprise. The number of objects, records and properties allowed is set in HubSpot's product catalog.
What are examples of HubSpot custom objects?
Things a business manages that are not people, companies, deals or tickets, and that have their own properties and relationships: vehicles or equipment, properties or locations, subscriptions or contracts, shipments, applications. A custom object earns its place when one company or contact has many of them and each needs its own record.
When should you not use a custom object?
When a property, association label or built-in object would do. HubSpot's own examples: do not create Parents or Teachers objects when a contact type property describes the difference, and do not create a Notes object when activities exist. Use deals for anything you forecast and contacts for anyone you email.
Can you delete a HubSpot custom object?
Yes, but it cannot be restored, and you cannot delete it while workflows, reports or other tools still use it. Internal names cannot be changed after the object is created, so agree the name and primary display property before you build.
Do we need to upgrade to Enterprise for custom objects?
Only if a custom object is genuinely the right model and the alternatives fail. Check activatable objects such as projects, listings or services, association labels, and properties first. Our Professional vs Enterprise guide covers what else Enterprise adds.
Sources
HubSpot documentation behind the feature and tier notes above, checked October 2026. HubSpot changes features and tiers often, so check your own portal too.