Squarespace 7.0 vs 7.1: Which Version Is My Site On?

Squarespace has two current generations. Sites built before 2020 are mostly 7.0; new sites are 7.1. They look similar from the outside and behave differently inside.

The short version

• 7.0 uses template families (Brine, Bedford, Pacific, Montauk, and others). Each family has its own layout options and quirks. Features arrive slowly or not at all on 7.0.
• 7.1 has one template with all styles available, section-based pages, and the Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor. It gets the new features.

How to check

1. In the editor. Open the Design or Site Styles area. 7.1 shows Site Styles with color themes and section styles. 7.0 shows a long list of template-specific tweaks, and the Design panel names the template.
2. In the page source. Right-click, View Page Source, search for siteVersion. You will see "siteVersion":"7.0" or "7.1". A 7.0 site also names its template in a templateId value or a body class.
3. Paste the address on our homepage. The free backup reads the same signals and prints the version and template hints in the Template card, along with fonts and colors.

Why it matters

Templates. On 7.0 the template decides what you can do. Switching templates is a real project. On 7.1 you change styles and sections without switching anything.

Moving from 7.0 to 7.1. Squarespace has an update tool that converts a 7.0 site to 7.1 in place. It shows a preview first, and once you click Publish update there is no way back to 7.0. It has a 150-page limit, drops album pages, and re-maps layouts into 7.1 sections rather than copying them exactly. Before you start, take a complete copy of the 7.0 site: every page as HTML and a full-page screenshot of each, so you can match the layout section by section afterward. The whole process is in Moving from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1: keep a copy of the old site first.

Backups. Both versions publish ordinary public pages, so both back up the same way. 7.1 pages depend on more scripts for layout, which is why a full-page screenshot from a real browser matters as much as the HTML.

What you cannot tell from the outside

Whether the site is on a Personal, Business, or Commerce plan, and who the owner is. The version and the template are public; the account is not.

Q: Can I switch a Squarespace 7.0 site to 7.1?

Yes, with Squarespace's update tool, which converts the site in place and cannot be undone once published. Sites over 150 pages must be trimmed first, and album pages do not carry over. Keep a full copy of the 7.0 site before you start so you have a reference.

Q: Is Squarespace 7.0 being shut down?

Existing 7.0 sites keep working at the time of writing, but new features go to 7.1. Plan on moving eventually, and keep backups of the 7.0 site in the meantime.