Tags vs Lists — what is the difference?

Mailbo gives you two ways to group contacts: tags and lists. New users mix them up constantly, so here's the clear version.

The one-line difference

• A tag is a label that describes a contact — what they are or what they did. Examples: customer, webinar-attendee, clicked-pricing. A contact can have many tags.
• A list is a bucket you put contacts in — a named group you manage. Example: "Weekly Newsletter." A contact can be on several lists.

Both can be used to choose who receives a campaign. The difference is how you think about them.

When to use a tag

Use tags for behaviour and attributes that build up over time:

• customer, free-trial, vip
• downloaded-ebook, attended-webinar
• interested-in-pricing

Tags are the trigger for automations and the basis for segments. They're the flexible, powerful option — reach for tags by default.

When to use a list

Use a list when you have a clear, named audience you'll email as a unit:

• "Newsletter subscribers"
• "Beta testers"
• "Customers — US"

Managing them

• Tags live under Tags in the menu. Add one with a name and colour, then attach it to contacts (manually, on import, via a form, or with an automation).
• Lists live under Lists. Click New list to create one; click into a list to see its members.

Rule of thumb: if you're not sure, use a tag. Tags are easy to combine into segments later, while lists are best kept for a handful of big, obvious groups.

Next: Segment your audience