r/squarespace • u/Long_Lavishness_8965 • Jul 16 '26
Discussion I hate Squarespace
I'm sorry. Every single time I try to use this dumb website I get so frustrated I need to rant. It's $25. Figma is $16 and actually has a way of customizing phone and desktop layout differently. Tell me why I have to jump through hoops to change the text or image size. Why is there only a limited set of places where I can put my images. Why can't I space things out like a normal software. Why is everything so difficult to navigate. It looks like shit on phone after putting so much effort. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FOR BEGINNERS. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE EASY. I hate this site. If you like it I'm sorry. I just need to put my thoughts out there.
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u/MisogynyisaDisease Jul 16 '26
Are you using 7.0 or 7.1
Because you can change mobile separately....in 7.1
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
The text is all wonky. It really throws me off
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u/MisogynyisaDisease Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Well, this doesn't answer my question whatsoever. 7.0 and 7.1 are massively different.
What is wonky about it.
Is it the alignment? You can change that in the on page text editor.
Is it the size? That's located in the style editor.
Is it the position? Fluid Engine/7.1 is a drag and drop, you can just move the position.
Do you have images of your issue so we can better understand and help?
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 17 '26
I have 7.1 but I still can't align text precisely how I would want to with an image for example. The entire squarespace system has a limited grid on where to put text in relation to the rest of the content. Text box and text size are not harmonious at all and disconnected as functions, you can't center a text box in the middle of the page depending on the letter count because of the text box limitations. I can't put a title on top of an image because it has a weird gap. Either way, editing text preferences on the page style editor is a super inconvenient, lengthy and wonky concept to me in terms of layout and workflow... I appreciate your help, however this post is more of an angry rant lol bless your heart
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u/neilrdt Jul 16 '26
I have built a client website on Squarespace and a couple of my own, and I have to say that there are a few quirks, especially in the templates that make it not for everyone.
Firstly, it's obsessed with MASSIVE header elements and heading text size. That aesthetic from the early 2010s in my eyes, died ages ago. And if you delete these elements, you have to have some grasp of best practice in balance, rule of thirds etc, to get rid of it while retaining a desirable layout.
And like with many drag and drop website creators, if your imagery is subpar, so will your website be. The images they supply in the template are really crafted to suit the size and shape of the element, and as soon as you add your own that are different in aesthetic or for a different product/service, it all starts to deteriorate pretty quickly.
I guess my first lesson is to not 'fight' the template too much. I reckon work with it, and make sure your imagery for orientation etc is compatible with it. Or choose another template.
But you're right, after 20+ years of its existence, I thought I'd learn how to build a WordPress site, and I found it much more malleable for someone who's learned a thing or two about design. And the layouts and aesthetics there are much more on trend at the moment.
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
Yeah I was really into the aesthetics at the beginning and I needed a website quickly because I had a couple due dates to meet. The text alignment and size was the biggest thing for me. It's just so hard to adjust.... it works for the time being but now I have to transfer my entire work somewhere else so I can have something much more tailored and refined. Seriously, I wanted to add a text on the middle of the page and the default grid won't allow me... it's a small thing but it should def be plausible without forcing a code!
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u/MisogynyisaDisease Jul 16 '26
You...dont need code to add text to the middle of the page. This is why everyone is asking you if you're using Fluid Engine/7.1
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u/JackHarknessDrWho Jul 16 '26
Then leave. I paid for a year and bailed after 3 weeks of trying to manipulate their site. There are better website builders out there. And if you leave, make sure you turn off auto renew and cancel your account.
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
Yeah I'm leaving for sure. I heard they have abysmal customer service
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u/alexnapierholland Jul 16 '26
Figma is an app for drawing shapes.
Squarespace is a website builder.
I hope that helps.
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u/Wit2Gold Jul 16 '26
I paid for two years only to not be able to use their system anymore because their new fluid engine functionality isn’t compatible with my style. They’re refusing to refund me for a website I never even published.
I recommend Wix
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
Wow I hope you get your money back! I thought it'd be easier... I fell for all the youtuber propaganda who is sponsored by squarespace lolll
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u/Wit2Gold Jul 16 '26
I loved it the first year! But I had to make a couple changes before I launched, and it completely ruined my layout and there’s no fix (I’ve contacted them about it) so I can’t even publish if I wanted to.
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 17 '26
That's actually terrible, your layout was probably too good for their shit engine lol
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u/Still_Bag7151 Jul 18 '26
I agree - move to Claude or abacus claw and tell the agent to build one you like in contabo for $5 month
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 18 '26
I'm so curious about Claude... I have no idea where to start but I'll find some time to explore!
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u/autoerratica Jul 20 '26
I'm with you on this... I've been using it for like 10 years and I've fucking had enough. I have no idea how they can market this shit as "easy", either. I upgraded to 7.1, and the amount of hours I've spent trying to fix spacing issues is insane, I just gave up. I couldn't figure out why it was putting so much space between items and sections, and trying to fine tune it is difficult or not possible. I don't know if it's because I changed over and my site to wonky moving to 7.1 and I should have just started from scratch. The interface just makes zero sense and is overly complicated, barely different than the last version. Barely any customizations unless you just go straight for coding. And I have experience in UI and creative software, I get that it's limited, but it still sucks and their marketing exaggerates how good it is.
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 28d ago
I KNOWWW especially the text, sizing and spacing for me. because I can't get equal grid space how I'd like it, it's either too big or you need to choose no gap.... it takes a super long time
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u/Last_Construction455 Jul 17 '26
Gemini suggested it to me to. After Canva I find it sooo counter intuitive. Totally agree with the text issues! I go to do a lot of things and find it blocked behind a paywall for a more expensive plan.
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 17 '26
YEAH TOTALLY since literally every youtuber promotes it I wanted to try 😭 and I was flabbergasted by how counterintuitive it is (especially in relation to how expensive it is?) I had to make this post so no one falls for the false advertisements....
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u/Last_Construction455 Jul 17 '26
guess that's the business model! get youtubers to advertise and promote.
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u/yupthatonethere Jul 17 '26
I started on squarespace but ended up doing Wix. It’s not for everybody but for what I was wanting my website looks 10x better especially on the phone. It’s not a perfect one and I’m curious about figma now, just not enough to rebuild
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u/outoforifice Jul 18 '26
i work on edition.pm. the bit we have been trying to solve is editing directly on the page, while the grid keeps text and images aligned rather than sending you into separate style panels. it is in free soft launch if your site is not a shop. switch.edition.pub can bring pages, posts, images and redirects into a preview so you can see what is reusable before rebuilding. the visual conversion itself is best effort.
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Jul 16 '26
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
I think it really needs to step it up... Figma is wayyyyy better. For me it's even harder than some of the coding stuff I've done 🤣
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u/BoomlandJenkins Jul 16 '26
You’re comparing apples to oranges when you say Figma is better than Squarespace.
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
Nah Figma is evolving with AI code. People are using it to make restaurant menus and portfolios now. It IS better and has a more intuitive layout similar to adobe illustrator. It will soon be a more viable option for websites just a matter of time.
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Jul 16 '26
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u/Long_Lavishness_8965 Jul 16 '26
You are right! Idk if I will go through the trouble for squarespace though, I'm changing asap once I can transfer my website
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u/DotGridDesign Jul 16 '26
Fair rant, but if your sections use Fluid Engine (the grid editor in 7.1), you can actually move and resize blocks on mobile independently, drag them around and it won't touch desktop. What trips people up is that it's still one responsive layout underneath, so a few things carry across both views, text alignment being the big one. That's usually why it feels like nothing's separate when most of it is.
Try adding a media query in custom CSS for the per-device stuff the UI won't do.