How Squarespace Templates Work (7.0 vs 7.1)

A Squarespace template is a starting design, and how much it locks you into depends on your site's version: on 7.1, every template shares the same features, so picking one is mostly a style decision; on 7.0, each template family has its own fixed set of features, so picking one is a functional decision too. This isn't a "best templates" roundup — it's how the underlying system works on each version, sourced from Squarespace's own help center, checked September 2026.

How do I choose a Squarespace template?

Squarespace's own guidance is less about finding "the best" template and more about picking a layout you like, since the design isn't as fixed as it looks. Its help center advises: "Rather than focusing on the demo content, look for specific layouts that appeal to you" (Squarespace, "Choosing the right template", checked September 2026). That same page is explicit that your first choice isn't permanent in the way it feels: "you can change the style and layout of your site at any time." It also flags that it's written for the current version: "This guide is primarily for version 7.1. To review different version 7.0 templates, visit Templates and design in version 7.0" (same source) — which matters, because the two versions handle templates very differently underneath.

What's the actual difference between version 7.0 and 7.1 templates?

This is the part that changes everything else in this guide. Squarespace's help center states it plainly for the current version: "All version 7.1 sites are part of the same template family, so every site has the same features and style options" (Squarespace, "Understanding Squarespace templates", checked September 2026). The practical result: "You won't change templates to gain access to new features or styles" (same source) — switching your visual design on 7.1 means changing styles, not swapping to a different underlying template.

Version 7.0 works the opposite way. The same help article explains: "In our previous version, your site's template has a bigger impact, because each template has a fixed set of style settings and special features that can't be changed." Squarespace's dedicated 7.0 templates page spells out why: "In version 7.0, each template family has its own set of style parameters and special features," and "Each version 7.0 template has its own specialized code, which means the template you choose determines which features you have access to. You can't mix and match features from different templates" (Squarespace, "Templates and design in version 7.0", checked September 2026). That page names 22 separate 7.0 template families, each with its own feature set — a template choice on 7.0 is closer to picking a product edition than picking a paint color. (Squarespace, "Understanding Squarespace templates")

How do I tell which version my site is on?

Squarespace's help center gives a direct check: "open the Pages panel for your site and scroll to the bottom of the panel. If you're on version 7.0, your site's template name also appears" (Squarespace, "What's my site's version and template?", checked September 2026). If a template name shows up there, you're on 7.0. If only a version label shows with no template name, you're on 7.1 — consistent with 7.1's one-shared-family structure, where there's no separate template name to display in the first place.

Can I switch templates after I start building on 7.0?

Yes, and Squarespace documents the process directly, along with what does and doesn't survive the switch. Its help center states: "When you switch to a new template, you change your site's design and structure, but most of your content stays intact" (Squarespace, "Switching templates in version 7.0", checked September 2026). Pages, blog posts, gallery images, products, and events carry over. What doesn't: the same page states "Sidebars, background images, page headers, and page footers reset in a new template," and style settings like fonts and colors reset too, since those are tied to the template's own fixed feature set described above.

You can preview a new template before committing — Squarespace lets you install and test one without disturbing your live site's current design. But the page is direct about the point of no return: "When you uninstall a template, any template-specific changes you made, such as styles, navigation order, sidebars, and footer content, will be permanently deleted." Once you uninstall your old template in favor of the new one, that older template's specific customizations are gone, not archived somewhere you can pull them back from. A few page types also change shape in the move: an Index page converts to a dropdown in the new template, and a Project page converts to a gallery page.

Can I switch templates on 7.1 the same way?

Not in the sense of swapping to a different template family, because there isn't one to swap to — every 7.1 site already shares the same template family and feature set, per Squarespace's own statement above. What you're actually doing on 7.1 when you want a new look is changing your site's styles (fonts, colors, spacing) inside that one shared system, not installing a separate template with its own code. If you're working inside 7.1's block editor specifically, our guide to Squarespace's Fluid Engine covers how that grid-based layout tool works once you're past the initial template choice.

Which version should I actually care about?

If you're starting a new Squarespace site today, you're on 7.1 by default, and the template question is mostly about layout and style preference, not locked-in functionality — pick something close to the structure you want, then adjust styles freely afterward. If you're maintaining an older 7.0 site, the template choice still carries real weight: check which family you're on using the version check above, and read the specific template family's feature list before assuming you can add a feature that belongs to a different family. Squarespace's own comparison charts across template families are the place to check that, not a third-party summary.

Where does Figment fit in?

Nowhere directly for this decision — Figment isn't a Squarespace alternative in the template sense. Figment publishes a website from a Figma design you've already built, through its Figma plugin; there's no template gallery, no version split, and no feature-per-family system to navigate. If you want full design control over a marketing site and are comfortable designing it in Figma first, that's a different route than picking a Squarespace template. If you're weighing Squarespace's whole platform against a different content system rather than just its templates, our Squarespace vs WordPress comparison covers that broader decision, and if you're choosing between Squarespace and Wix specifically, our guide to how Wix templates work covers the equivalent — and notably different — rule on Wix, where a template can't be switched in place at all, on any version.

Bottom line: template really means two different things depending on your Squarespace version. On 7.1, every site shares one feature set, so a template is a style starting point you can freely restyle. On 7.0, a template is a functional commitment — its own fixed features and code — and switching later means a real migration with content that survives and design details that don't. Check your version first using the steps above before you plan around either behavior.