Squarespace 5 was released in 2008. Since then, we've introduced newer platforms and versions:
- 2012 - We introduced Squarespace 6, a new platform designed to make building and managing your site more modern and intuitive.
- 2014 - All Squarespace 6 sites upgraded to Squarespace 7, a platform with a completely new interface, unique templates, and ecommerce options.
- 2019 - We released an even newer version of the platform called Squarespace 7.1. This more streamlined version has new options for adding and styling content that aren't tied to particular templates.
Squarespace 7 and Squarespace 5 are separate platforms, and Squarespace 7.0 and Squarespace 7.1 are two different versions within Squarespace 7.
Many features don't overlap between Squarespace 7 and Squarespace 5. For example, versions 7.0 and 7.1 both have mobile-friendly design, SEO optimization, ecommerce, and video background options. These features aren't available on Squarespace 5. However, there are some Squarespace 5 features that don't have a direct equivalent in either of the newer versions, such as the Discussion page.
This guide explains the differences between the two platforms and versions.
Note: It's no longer possible to create new Squarespace 5 sites.
Which version of Squarespace am I using?
Squarespace's two platforms use different login pages and site editing tools.
Squarespace 5
If the URL of your login page ends in /Login, you’re using Squarespace 5. For help logging in, visit Login troubleshooting .
After you’re logged in, the Squarespace 5 platform has editing modes in the top-right:
Squarespace version 7.0 and 7.1
If you can log in with an email address, Google, Facebook, or Apple account, you're using Squarespace 7.0 or Squarespace 7.1.
To determine if your site is on version 7.0 or 7.1, add /config to the end of your site's URL. If the login screen pictured above appears, you're using version 7.0 or 7.1. For help logging in to either of those versions, visit Logging in and out of Squarespace.
Tip: If you're on Squarespace 7, visit our Squarespace 7 help center for guides and Customer Support specific to your site.
Once you're logged into Squarespace version 7.0 or 7.1, editing options appear on the left:
Should I switch to the new platform?
Whether you should switch from Squarespace 5 to Squarespace 7 depends on the site features you need.
Benefits of switching
Squarespace 7.1 and 7.0 have many features not available on Squarespace 5, such as:
- Integrated ecommerce
- Improved search engine optimization (SEO)
- Automatic responsive design and mobile styles
- Sophisticated layouts and content-adding options
- Modern blog layouts
- Social sharing options
- Beautiful image options such as galleries and full-bleed banners
- Image and video reuse and storage
Benefits of staying on Squarespace 5
If you’re satisfied with how your site looks and don’t plan to make any changes, it might make sense to leave it on the Squarespace 5 platform for now.
Some information doesn't transfer between platforms:
- Billing details don't transfer from a Squarespace 5 site to a Squarespace 7 site.
- It's not possible to transfer information from your site's Traffic Overview. Your new Squarespace 7 site will have its own analytics.
Some Squarespace 5 features don't have a direct equivalent in our current platform:
- Discussion Page - Squarespace 7 doesn’t have a forum feature comparable to the Discussion Page. To enable visitors to communicate with each other in Squarespace 7, you can enable blog comments and simple likes, or add advanced commenting features through our integration with Disqus.
- Code injection interface - Squarespace 7 supports both per-page and site-wide code injection, but injection points work differently than Squarespace 5. If your site relies heavily on code injection, visit the Squarespace 7 guide Using code injection.
Should I choose Squarespace 7.1 or 7.0?
In general, we recommend moving to Squarespace 7.1, the newest version on our current platform. Squarespace 7.1 has:
- Modern, engaging designs, newer features, and a simplified interface
- More flexibility, with style options and features that aren't tied to particular templates
However, it's not possible to directly import content from Squarespace 5 to Squarespace 7.1. Instead, you'll start a new trial and move content to your new site manually. If you have many blog posts or pages, it might make more sense to move to Squarespace 7.0, which has a built-in option for importing content. Also, in Squarespace 7.0, certain templates have sidebars. Squarespace 7.1 doesn't use sidebars at all.
Those are the key considerations when moving from Squarespace 5. We also have detailed information on the differences between Squarespace 7.1 and 7.0 on our Squarespace 7 help center.
How to switch to Squarespace 7
When you’re ready to switch to Squarespace 7, first choose which version will work best for your needs, then follow the steps in the appropriate guide:
For either version, you'll start with a free 14-day trial so you can experiment with your new site before moving.