How to use custom objects In the HubSpot–Salesforce integration
Custom objects: creation, governance, and Salesforce–HubSpot sync explained.
Custom objects extend what you can do with the HubSpot–Salesforce integration.
Standard objects like Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets cover most common needs, but sometimes your business requires something different. That’s where custom objects fit.
With them, you can model unique entities such as surveys, curriculums, bids, or any other business-specific data you need to track.
Each custom object can have its own properties, associations, and pipelines, giving you more control over how information flows through your go-to-market systems.
Who can access custom objects
Custom objects are only available on HubSpot Enterprise plans. If you’re on Professional or below, you won’t see the option. HubSpot does allow a single Enterprise license to unlock the feature for your account, but you’ll still need the right level of permissions.
Only Super Admins can create and manage custom objects. That includes setting up associations, pipelines, and permissions.
When to use them
Before spinning up a new object, ask whether it’s necessary. Sometimes a property on an existing record is enough.
If the information is critical for reporting, automation, or long-term use, then a custom object may be worth the overhead. But if it’s a short-lived campaign, you may be better off with a property on Contacts, Companies, or Deals.
Good use cases include:
- Education companies creating a “Curriculum” object linked to students and teachers.
- Teams running surveys that want individual survey records tied back to Contacts.
- Businesses managing bids, RFPs, or property offers that don’t fit neatly into Deals.
Creating custom objects in HubSpot
The process has become much simpler. You no longer need to use the API.
In HubSpot, navigate to Settings → Objects → Custom Objects and click Create custom.
You’ll give it a singular and plural name, write a description, and define a Primary Display Property. This can be a text or number field and acts as the record’s identifier.
From there, you can add Secondary Display Properties to show up in list views. You’ll also define associations with standard or other custom objects. For example, link surveys to Contacts or bids to Companies.
If your custom object has stages, you can build pipelines for it. And like other objects, you can add properties, filters, and views to manage it.
Feel free to explore HubSpot’s official support article on creating and editing custom objects if you need more information.
Syncing custom objects with Salesforce
Originally, custom object sync only worked one way: Salesforce to HubSpot. In 2024, HubSpot expanded this to support bidirectional sync. So you can create and update records in both systems.
To enable it, first make sure the custom object exists in both HubSpot and Salesforce. Then, in HubSpot, go to Settings → Integrations → Connected Apps → Salesforce and choose Sync custom objects.
You’ll select which objects to sync, map their properties, and configure associations. HubSpot will scan Salesforce for lookup relationships so you can decide which to bring over.
Sync rules and limitations
There are a few rules you’ll need to set:
- Sync direction: choose one-way or bi-directional.
- Conflict resolution: decide whether HubSpot or Salesforce wins when both systems update the same record. This setting applies globally to the object.
- Associations: choose which relationships to sync, such as Contacts or Accounts.
- Deletions: if a record or property is deleted in Salesforce, decide whether to also remove it in HubSpot. Note that deletions in HubSpot never push back to Salesforce.
Keep in mind that not every HubSpot feature fully supports custom objects. Some reports, automation triggers, and email tools may still be limited.
Test carefully before rolling them out broadly.
Be sure to check out the 9 most common sync errors that arise with HubSpot-Salesforce projects.
Summing up
Custom objects should be used strategically, with clear governance in place. If you’re weighing whether custom objects are the right move for your Salesforce–HubSpot integration, we can help scope the effort.
Submit a form and let’s review your data model together to avoid costly missteps.
