Should I update my Squarespace 7.0 website to 7.1?
I get this question at least a couple of times every month and here’s what I tell my clients.
When I first started working on Squarespace websites, we only had Squarespace 7.0, and of course, the older versions like Squarespace 5. I fell in love with the ease with which I could build a new website on this platform, customize it with in-built design tools and code, and teach a client how to manage it on their own. The launch of Squarespace 7.1 made my life easier with the introduction of color themes, header styles, and font standardizations.
However, it was with the Fluid Engine editor - now powering Squarespace 7.1 - that Squarespace changed the game completely. Check out the below table for a quicky, handy list on some of the biggest differences between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1.
Compare Squarespace 7. 0 and Squarespace 7.1
| Squarespace 7.0 | Squarespace 7.1 |
|---|---|
| Certain features like full-bleed banner images and index pages are available only on certain templates | All websites have the same features, making it easy to update the design without changing your website template |
| Uses the Classic Editor | Has the Fluid Engine and the Classic Editor*. Blog pages have only the Classic Editor |
| Set individual colors, fonts for different elements on the site | Uses color themes and font packs for consistency across the site |
| Blocks can be placed only in fixed positions to the top, bottom, left, or right of other blocks | You can position blocks anywhere using the drag-and-drop editor and even layer blocks to create unique designs |
| Blocks can be resized only by placing other blocks next to them | Resize blocks easily by clicking and dragging on the corners or borders of a block |
| Cannot duplicate blocks | Easy to duplicate a block or groups of blocks and paste them in other sections on your page |
| Cannot create design templates that can be used on multiple pages | Can create Saved Sections that can be used on multiple pages to speed up your design process |
| Doesn't have built-in tools for creating courses | You can create and sell online courses |
| Has Gallery and Album pages | Does not have Gallery or Album pages but has Gallery and Auto-Layout sections and Portfolio pages instead to create groups or collections of images and/or images and text |
| Will need to use CSS for custom design and styling | Has many new design and styling tools like text highlights, scale text, section dividers to help you create unique layouts without using code |
| Mobile layout is decided by the order in which you add blocks to the page and cannot be changed | Rearrange blocks for mobile independently of the desktop layout |
| Has built-in Image Layouts like Card, Poster, etc. | Does not have built-in Image Layouts, but it's easy to build them separately using image, text blocks, shape blocks, and buttons. |
| Can set animations for individual images | Built-in site-wide animation styles, background art, image overlays, and more |
| No Undo/Redo buttons | Has Undo/Redo buttons |
| Some templates have built-in share buttons for blogs, events, etc. | Will need to use custom code or widgets to add social sharing on blog posts or other pages |
| You can add up to 200 products per store and up to 10,000 products per site | The max limit for products in a store and the site is set to 10,000 |
| Supports Developer Mode | Doesn't support Developer mode |
*It is not known whether all 7.1 sites would have the Classic Editor feature permanently or if it would be discontinued at a later time.
Please note that this is not a complete list of all of the differences between Squarespace 7 and 7.1. Squarespace is releasing so many new features regularly, especially on 7.1, and I’ll do my best to keep updating this list. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know through the comments below.