Understanding AND vs OR Logic in Hubspot Lists and Workflows
When you build lists or workflows in Hubspot, the way you combine filters with AND and OR logic directly controls who is included and which actions run. Knowing how this logic works prevents unexpected results and keeps your segmentation and automation accurate.
How Hubspot evaluates logic in filters
Hubspot evaluates each filter or branch as a true or false statement. A record is included in a list or progresses through a workflow only when the overall logic resolves to true.
At a high level:
- AND logic means every condition must be true.
- OR logic means at least one condition must be true.
The complexity comes from how Hubspot groups conditions and filter groups together. The same set of filters arranged differently can return very different results.
AND logic in Hubspot lists and workflows
Use AND logic when you want to narrow down your audience so that contacts, companies, deals, or tickets need to meet multiple conditions at the same time.
Basic AND logic behavior in Hubspot
Within a single filter group, Hubspot treats stacked filters as connected by AND when you do not specify otherwise.
For example, this single group behaves as:
- Lifecycle stage is Customer AND
- Last activity date is known AND
- Country is United States
A record must match all three conditions to be included. If any one condition is false, the entire AND statement is false and the record is excluded.
When to use AND logic in Hubspot
Common scenarios include:
- Building a list of engaged customers for a feedback campaign.
- Triggering a workflow only when a deal has a certain stage and a specific amount.
- Nurturing contacts who signed up via a specific form and belong to a particular industry.
AND logic in Hubspot is best when you want a tighter, more specific segment that shares multiple characteristics.
OR logic in Hubspot lists and workflows
Use OR logic when you want to broaden your audience so that contacts can qualify in more than one way.
Basic OR logic behavior in Hubspot
In lists and workflows, Hubspot allows you to introduce OR logic between filters or between entire filter groups.
For example, two filter groups might be:
- Group 1: Lifecycle stage is Lead AND Country is Canada
- Group 2: Lifecycle stage is Subscriber AND Country is United States
If the groups are separated by OR, Hubspot evaluates the logic as:
(Lifecycle stage is Lead AND Country is Canada) OR (Lifecycle stage is Subscriber AND Country is United States)
A record that matches either group is included, because only one side of the OR statement needs to be true.
When to use OR logic in Hubspot
Typical uses for OR logic include:
- Creating a list for a campaign that targets several regions.
- Enrolling contacts in a workflow if they filled out any of several key forms.
- Grouping different lifecycle stages that should receive the same messaging.
OR logic in Hubspot is ideal when your criteria are flexible and you want to capture similar but not identical audiences.
Combining AND and OR logic in Hubspot
The most powerful segments and workflows come from combining AND and OR carefully. The way Hubspot groups conditions controls the meaning of your logic.
Understanding group-based logic
In Hubspot lists and workflows, you can organize filters into groups. Each group can contain multiple filters joined by AND or OR, and then groups themselves can be joined together.
Think of the structure as:
- Filters inside a group: usually AND, unless you explicitly add OR.
- Relationships between groups: you can configure them as AND or OR.
This lets you build logic like:
(A AND B) OR (C AND D)
instead of only a simple chain like A AND B OR C AND D, which might not behave as you expect without proper grouping.
Example of mixed logic in Hubspot
Consider building a list for a promotion targeting two different profiles:
- Profile 1: Customers in Europe.
- Profile 2: Leads in North America who requested a demo.
You can model this in Hubspot as:
- Group 1
- Lifecycle stage is Customer AND
- Region is Europe
- Group 2
- Lifecycle stage is Lead AND
- Region is North America AND
- Recent form submission is Demo request
Then connect Group 1 OR Group 2. Hubspot includes any record that matches either complete profile.
How Hubspot evaluates complex conditions step by step
To avoid surprises, walk through your logic the way Hubspot does. A simple process looks like this:
- Identify each filter and ask: for a single record, is this true or false?
- Look inside each group and combine the results with AND or OR as configured.
- Take those group results and combine them again based on how the groups relate to each other.
- Confirm that the final true or false result matches your intended audience.
Testing your logic on a few sample records helps confirm that Hubspot is evaluating conditions as you expect.
Visual branching logic in Hubspot workflows
Workflows in Hubspot also use AND and OR logic inside if/then branches and enrollment triggers. The same principles apply:
- Use AND branches when multiple criteria must be met before actions run.
- Use OR branches to execute the same actions when any of several conditions are met.
- Combine nested branches for more advanced scenarios, while keeping the structure readable.
Because workflow actions can affect records automatically, always double-check your logic before turning a workflow on.
Best practices for AND vs OR logic in Hubspot
To reduce errors and keep your Hubspot account organized, follow these practices:
1. Start with a written logic statement
Write out your segment or automation as a plain sentence first, for example:
“Include contacts who are customers in Europe, or leads in North America who requested a demo.”
Then translate that sentence into grouped logic inside Hubspot.
2. Use clear filter groups
Group related filters together based on how you describe the audience. Each group should represent a single, understandable profile. This makes the Hubspot interface easier to read, maintain, and troubleshoot later.
3. Test with small sample lists
Create a temporary list using the same logic as your workflow enrollment criteria. Review which records are included to verify that Hubspot interprets AND and OR conditions correctly.
4. Document your logic outside Hubspot
For complex setups, capture screenshots and a short description in your internal documentation. Tools like Consultevo can help teams standardize marketing operations and keep track of logic decisions across multiple Hubspot assets.
Where to learn more about AND and OR logic in Hubspot
For the full reference and product-specific visuals, review Hubspot’s official documentation on this topic here: Difference between AND vs OR logic in lists and workflows.
By understanding how AND and OR logic works in Hubspot, you can control your list membership precisely, avoid unexpected workflow enrollments, and build segmentation that reliably supports your marketing, sales, and service strategies.
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