Since 2009
Guide · HubSpot
How to tag contacts and companies in HubSpot
HubSpot has no manual tags on contacts or companies. This guide shows the native ways to get close, step by step, what each one can't do, and a free app that adds one-click tags to the record.
Short answer
Does HubSpot have tags for contacts and companies?
No. There is no tag field you can add to a contact or company by hand. People have asked for one since March 2017. The idea Contact or Company Tags? in HubSpot Ideas has 488 votes and almost 140,000 views. HubSpot marked it Not Currently Planned in May 2020.
HubSpot does have colour-coded object tags. But they work on deals, tickets and some other objects, not on contacts or companies, and they are set by rules, not by hand.
What you can do today, closest match first: a multiple checkboxes property as your tag field, static segments (the new name for static lists), and object tags for deals and tickets.
Method 1
Use a multiple checkboxes property as your tag field
This is the workaround a HubSpot employee suggested on the original idea thread, and the one community experts still recommend. You create one property, add an option for each tag, and tick options on the record. You need the Edit property settings permission.
- Click the settings icon in the top navigation bar.
- In the left sidebar, click Properties.
- In the Select an object dropdown, choose Contact properties (or Company properties).
- Click Create property, then Edit more options.
- Name it, for example Tags.
- Open the Field type tab, choose Multiple checkboxes, and add one option for each tag.
- Click Create.
Contact and company properties are separate. If you want tags on both, create the property on each object.
Put it where people will see it. Open a contact. In the left sidebar, on the About this contact card, click Actions, then Customize properties. Click Add properties, tick Tags and click Save. This changes your view; an admin can change the default for everyone.
Tag one record: click the Tags field in the sidebar and tick the options you want.
Tag many records: on the contacts index page, select the records and click Edit. Choose Tags, pick the tags, and select Append to current value(s). The replace option wipes the tags already on those records.
Find tagged records: filter a view or build a segment on Tags. is any of finds records with at least one of the tags you pick. contains all of finds records with every one. is none of leaves them out.
Add colours (optional): edit the property, open the Field type tab, pick an Option display mode, then choose a colour for each option. HubSpot offers this on every plan.
Method 2
Group records with static segments (formerly lists)
Segments are what HubSpot now calls lists. A static segment doesn't update by itself: records join or leave when someone, or a workflow, adds or removes them. That makes it a rough stand-in for a tag.
- Go to CRM › Segments, click Create segment, then Manually.
- Choose the object, make it a static segment, give it a name and save it.
- To add records, select them on the index page and click Add to static segment. For contacts, it's under More. You can add up to 100 records at a time this way.
- To add a single contact, open it. On the Segment memberships card, click Manage, then Add to segment.
Segments suit one-off groups, like everyone on a trade show's attendee list. As everyday tags they are slower: each tag is a separate segment, and people need segment edit permissions to add records.
Method 3
Colour-coded object tags don't cover contacts or companies
HubSpot's object tags are coloured labels that show on board cards, in table views and on the record. A Super Admin creates them: Settings › Objects, choose the object, open the Pipelines tab, then its Tags tab, and click Create tag.
Three things limit them:
- Which records. Deals, tickets, leads, orders, projects and several other objects. Contacts and companies are not on the list.
- Rules, not clicks. You build filters, for example "Amount is more than 10,000", and the tag shows on every record that matches. Nobody adds one to a record by hand.
- Paid plans. Sales Hub or Service Hub Starter and above, or Smart CRM Professional and above. HubSpot's product catalog allows 20 tags on Starter, 40 on Professional and 80 on Enterprise, counted across all objects.
If the label follows from data you already store, object tags work well on the records they support. For hand-picked labels on people and companies, use a property.
Free vs paid
What the free CRM can do, and where the workarounds fall short
On the free CRM you can use Methods 1 and 2:
- Properties: 10 custom properties in total. Paid plans get 1,000 per object.
- Segments: up to 10 active and 1,000 static segments.
- Option colours: available on every plan.
- Object tags: not available. They need a paid plan, and still don't cover contacts or companies.
The checkbox property is the closest native option, but it has gaps:
- New tags need an admin. Each tag is a property option, so a user without Edit property settings can't add one. They have to ask.
- Tidying up is manual. Merging Partner into Partners means a filter, a bulk edit to append one, another to remove the other, then deleting the option.
- Removing one tag in a workflow is awkward. Community members describe extra workflows, or custom code, to take one value out.
- It costs a property. On the free CRM, each tag property uses one of your 10.
Find or add a tag
- Churn risk
- Key account
- Newsletter
- Partner
- Referral
- Trade show 2026
Contact & Company TagsHubSpot · record card and settings pageOne-click tags on the record, with a free app
Contact & Company Tags is our free app. It keeps Method 1, a normal multiple checkboxes property, and adds a faster way to use it.
- A Tags card on contact, company and deal records. Tick a tag to add it, untick to remove it. Each click saves straight away.
- Type to create. Type a name that doesn't exist yet and press Enter, and the tag is created and added to the record. Admins can turn this off so only Super Admins add tags.
- Rename, merge and delete in the app settings. Renaming keeps the tag on every record. Merging moves every record from one tag to the other. Deleting removes the tag from every record.
- Works across HubSpot. Tags are saved in a property called Tags, so filters, saved views, segments, workflows, reports, imports and exports use them like any other property. Already have a tags property? Point the app at it.
It works on every plan, including the free CRM, and uses one custom property per object. It doesn't store any of your record data. It doesn't cover tickets yet. The card has its own five colours; HubSpot doesn't let apps read the option colours you set on a property, so those stay separate.
The app isn't listed on the HubSpot Marketplace yet. Request access and we'll send you the install link. A Super Admin installs it, then adds the Tags card to the contact, company and deal layouts once. If you uninstall, the property and every tag stay in your account.
It's free; we're looking for HubSpot teams to try it before it's listed on the Marketplace.
FAQ
Common questions
Does HubSpot have tags for contacts?
Not as a built-in field. HubSpot's colour-coded object tags don't cover contacts or companies, so most teams create a multiple checkboxes property called Tags and use its options as tags.
How do I add a tag to a contact in HubSpot?
Create a multiple checkboxes property with one option per tag. Then open the contact and tick the options in that property. To tag many contacts at once, select them on the index page, click Edit, and choose Append to current value(s).
Can you tag companies in HubSpot?
Yes, the same way: create a multiple checkboxes property on the company object. Company and contact properties are separate, so a tag on a company doesn't appear on its contacts.
What are HubSpot object tags?
Coloured labels that HubSpot shows on records matching rules you set. They work on deals, tickets and several other objects, but not contacts or companies, and they need a paid plan.
Are HubSpot lists the same as tags?
Lists are now called segments. A static segment can stand in for one tag, but each one is managed on its own in the Segments tool, so a property is easier for tags you use every day.
Can I tag contacts on the free HubSpot CRM?
Yes. Free accounts can create multiple checkboxes properties (10 custom properties in total), static segments and coloured property options. Object tags need a paid plan. Our free Contact & Company Tags app also works on the free CRM.