What is the difference between Lists and a filtered Contact View?
SOLVE
Maybe I'm completely missing something here, but can someone explain to me the purpose of using a List versus just filtering contacts/companies based on set criteria on the contact/company views?
The only benefit I can find is that in a List, you can filter contacts by a company property. But in that case, why not just allow filtering contacts by a company property right on the normal contact view?
When I say "contact/company view" I am referring to this screen:
A list allows you to segment your contacts and reference in other actions - like sending marketing emails, setting up automation, building reports, etc.
A filtered view, while it can be shared with everyone or your team, is not a functional list of contacts, it is meant to improve your efficiency for completing specific tasks or actions, like identifying a subset of leads to follow up with.
Great question, when I first started using HubSpot this wasn't clear to me either.
As a rule of thumb, lists can be used and referenced by other tools in HubSpot. Lists can be used to include or exclude contacts in reports, marketing emails (for sending, exclusion and smart lists), workflows (for enrollment, suppression, adding/removing contacts from lists), custom feedback surveys, a few tools I'm currently not thinking of. Lists can also reference each other, lists will include a list growth report and a contact record will show how many lists a contact is a member of. Lastly, a list allows for the use or OR and AND.
Filtered views can't do any of these things, they can only be used for one purpose: seeing all records who match certain criteria. One key difference is that you can filter for additional object types, not just contacts and companies but also tickets, deals etc. That's something lists cannot do.
For some reasons that still elude me, to be honest, filtered views are also much faster than lists, especially in more complex HubSpot portals. When you need to understand how many records there are matching certain criteria, filtered views will be faster than lists.
If you need an overview of records (that you can share with your team), filtered views are the way to go. If you need something that can be referenced by other tools, you would use lists.
Hope this helps!
Karsten Köhler HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer
What is the difference between Lists and a filtered Contact View?
SOLVE
Thanks to both of you. Your responses really clarified it for me. I think the confusion lies in the word "lists". When I think of a "list", to me, the purpose of it is to look at a list visually. But what you're describing to me is really a way of defining a segment of contacts. So really, a "list" is a "segment" that can be used in other tools and workflows and the contact view effectively is the list you use to actually view a filtered set of contacts.
Great question, when I first started using HubSpot this wasn't clear to me either.
As a rule of thumb, lists can be used and referenced by other tools in HubSpot. Lists can be used to include or exclude contacts in reports, marketing emails (for sending, exclusion and smart lists), workflows (for enrollment, suppression, adding/removing contacts from lists), custom feedback surveys, a few tools I'm currently not thinking of. Lists can also reference each other, lists will include a list growth report and a contact record will show how many lists a contact is a member of. Lastly, a list allows for the use or OR and AND.
Filtered views can't do any of these things, they can only be used for one purpose: seeing all records who match certain criteria. One key difference is that you can filter for additional object types, not just contacts and companies but also tickets, deals etc. That's something lists cannot do.
For some reasons that still elude me, to be honest, filtered views are also much faster than lists, especially in more complex HubSpot portals. When you need to understand how many records there are matching certain criteria, filtered views will be faster than lists.
If you need an overview of records (that you can share with your team), filtered views are the way to go. If you need something that can be referenced by other tools, you would use lists.
Hope this helps!
Karsten Köhler HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer
What is the difference between Lists and a filtered Contact View?
SOLVE
Hi,
IMO, these two features s/b unified under one. One way to configure the filters for any object and its associated objects, one way to select which saved query (call it a list or a view) I want to show, and one source of objects for all downstream tools.
I see little value in having two separate functions. It only creates confusion.
I am in the strange situation where a view shows more records than my list. I am using the exactly the same filters in both. Any idea why this might happen?
A list allows you to segment your contacts and reference in other actions - like sending marketing emails, setting up automation, building reports, etc.
A filtered view, while it can be shared with everyone or your team, is not a functional list of contacts, it is meant to improve your efficiency for completing specific tasks or actions, like identifying a subset of leads to follow up with.