The quick answer: Use a Segment (List) when the filtered group needs to be used elsewhere in HubSpot, like an email send, a workflow, or a report. Use a View when you just need to look at a set of records with your own custom columns, without changing what anyone else on your team sees.
Both features start the same way: open the filter panel, set your criteria, save. The difference is what happens after you save, and who the result is for.
What Is a Segment/List?
A Segment, or List, is a defined group of records built from filter criteria. Once built, it becomes an object other parts of HubSpot can reference:
- Sending a marketing email to a specific audience
- Enrolling records into a workflow
- Building a report tied to list membership
- Syncing an audience to an ad platform
Lists are shared, reusable infrastructure. Because other people and other tools reference them by name, the list view always shows HubSpot's standard columns for that object. You cannot set custom columns that persist, for yourself or anyone else.
What Is a View?
A View lives on the main object index, your Contacts, Companies, or Deals table. Building one looks almost identical to building a list: filter panel, criteria, save.
The difference shows up after you save. A View lets you set your own custom columns and keeps that layout in place every time you return, without changing what anyone else sees. They will still get the standard columns. Your setup is yours alone.
That makes a View the right call when you need specific properties visible at a glance, properties that are not part of the default column set.
Segment or View: How Do You Decide?
Ask yourself two questions:
Does this group need to be used somewhere else in HubSpot (an email, a workflow, a report)? Build a Segment/List.
Do you just need to see a specific set of records with specific columns, without affecting anyone else's view? Build a View.
A common case: auditing a batch of records where you need three or four non-standard properties visible side by side. A List only gives you the standard columns, so those properties would not show. A View lets you set exactly the columns you need and keeps them there.
Do Not Skip This: Always Save Your Filters
Whether it is a View or a List, filters only take effect once you save. Add or adjust criteria and navigate away without saving, and the change does not stick. Save immediately after any filter update, before doing anything else.
For Quick Reference
| Need | Use |
| Send an email to a specific audience | List/Segment |
| Enroll records into a workflow | List/Segment |
| Build a report off group membership | List/Segment |
| Sync an audience to an ad platform | List/Segment |
| Review records with custom columns, for you or somebody else | View |
| One-off data cleanup or QA pass | View |
| Anything the team or other tools need to reference | List/Segment |
Quick Questions and Answers (FAQ)
What is the difference between a HubSpot View and a HubSpot List? A List (Segment) is a shared, reusable group of records used in emails, workflows, and reports, and always shows standard columns. A View is a personal, filtered look at an object table where you can set your own custom columns.
Can I customize columns on a HubSpot List? No. List views always display HubSpot's standard columns for that object. To see custom properties as columns, use a View instead.
Why did my HubSpot filter changes disappear? Filters on both Views and Lists only save when you click Save. Navigating away first will discard the change.
Get More Out of Your HubSpot Portal
Little details like Views versus Segments add up. Multiply them across your whole CRM, your workflows, your reporting, and your team's day-to-day habits, and the difference between a clean, efficient portal and a cluttered one comes down to knowing which tool fits which job.
That is the kind of hands-on HubSpot knowledge Tapp Network brings to every client relationship. As a HubSpot Platinum Partner, we handle implementation, training, and ongoing support so your team is not left guessing which feature to reach for. Whether you need a full onboarding, a training session for your staff, or a second set of eyes on how your portal is set up, we can help.
Reach out to Tapp Network to get your HubSpot portal working the way it should.
