16 of the best Squarespace templates for bloggers and beyond

squarespace's website pulled up on an imac sitting on a wooden desk that's surrounded by plants

Editor’s note: Squarespace recently announced Squarespace Refresh, its annual release of new features and updates (including video monetization and custom merch tools). We’ll be updating this content with additional information in the weeks to come.

If you’ve listened to any podcast ever, you already know the spiel: Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder that makes it easy to create a professional-looking online presence. Numbers-wise, it’s the second most popular web builder out there (after Wix) and the third most popular hosting service (after Wix and Shopify), supporting more than 2.8 million live websites across the internet at the time of publication.

One of the primary reasons why Squarespace has seen this success — well, aside from all of those Ira Glass-narrated ad slots — is that you don’t need any web design or coding experience to get a beautiful site up and running on its platform. With intuitive drag-and-drop building elements and a vast selection of ultra-modern templates, it’s easily one of the most beginner-friendly tools of its kind.

Truthfully, the hardest part about designing a Squarespace site is often just choosing one of those templates — there are 234 of them across Squarespace versions 7.0 and 7.1, the two iterations of the platform that are currently supported. How do you decide which one to use for your oil painting portfolio, your Taiwanese-American food blog, or the online store for your cool-girl jeans? (Those are all different kinds of websites that have been made with Squarespace, FYI.)

Let’s get into it — but first, a quick primer.

Why should I use Squarespace?

After fast and easy site design, the best thing about Squarespace is its all-in-one approach: Your plan includes 24/7 customer support, website metrics, SEO features, SSL security, unlimited bandwidth, and video storage, all for as low as $14 a month. (That gets even cheaper if you go with a long-term plan, by the way.) Squarespace also throws in fully managed cloud hosting at no extra cost, plus a year’s worth of a new custom domain if you sign up for an annual membership. No need to set anything else up with another provider or platform.

What is a Squarespace template, exactly?

A Squarespace template (or theme) is a pre-designed, ready-to-use demo website that you can customize with different colors, pages, fonts, and drag-and-drop element blocks like text, images, galleries, buttons, and forms. Squarespace describes them as “a starting point to help inspire your site’s design,” noting that “[you] can keep the structure of your original design intact by replacing the demo content with your own, or you can completely change the design of your site and start from scratch.”

Each template has been built exclusively for Squarespace, which means you won’t find them on WordPress, Wix, or other site-building platforms.

Are Squarespace templates mobile-friendly?

All Squarespace templates are mobile-optimized from the jump, which is awesome for two reasons: Mobile-friendly sites look great on all devices and get higher priority from Google when it comes to indexing and SEO rankings.

Templates from Squarespace version 7.0 have separate mobile styles that activate on smaller devices, while their version 7.1 counterparts adapt to mobile view automatically. (More on those in a sec.) Check out Squarespace’s tips for keeping your site mobile-friendly as you continue to build it out.

Which version of Squarespace is better: 7.0 or 7.1?

Launched in 2014, Squarespace version 7.0 categorizes its 91 templates into certain template “families,” which are groups of similarly coded templates alike in their basic structure and functionality. Each one has its own rules and customization options, which means you sometimes need to swap templates and start over (and risk losing content) if you’re after a specific feature. For example, infinite scroll is exclusive to the Farro and Skye template families.

Squarespace scrapped those hard-and-fast classifications with the release of version 7.1 in early 2020. All 143 of its newer templates now belong to the same family with the same features and underlying structure, which makes it easier to change site styles in seconds.

That being said, neither version of Squarespace is conclusively “better” than the other. Version 7.1 is probably the ideal choice for people who are new to the platform since it aggressively streamlines the design process, especially since the July 2022 rollout of Fluid Engine. (That’s Squarespace’s next-gen content editor for 7.1 sites, which utilizes a grid system and additional block placement options for improved layout flexibility — particularly on mobile.)

However, users who have built a Squarespace site before may still have good reason to stick with version 7.0 — its templates have some advanced features that haven’t been added to the new ones yet. (See: parallax scrolling, one especially popular feature of the beloved Brine template family that’s missing from version 7.1; people were pretty salty about that one.)

One caveat: While it’s possible to switch between versions 7.0 and 7.1, doing so will usually require a full rebuild and mess with your site’s search ranking. On the bright side, Squarespace offers a free 14-day trial so you can noodle around with both before you commit.

Is Squarespace better than WordPress?

This one’s pretty situational. WordPress is best for people on either end of the customization spectrum: You can use the free version to create a super basic blog, or go balls-to-the-wall on a totally unique, from-scratch website with premium themes and tens of thousands of plugins. Keep in mind that the latter requires managing your own hosting, security, and updates; you may also need to hire a developer if your coding skills aren’t up to par.

SEE ALSO:

Squarespace vs. WordPress: Which website builder is best for your dream site?

Squarespace’s templates are less flexible than a custom-built WordPress site and lean hard on visuals, but they already have some great built-in features and look pretty snazzy right out of the gate — plus, all of the technical drudgery is handled by the platform itself.

Squarespace also supports the official integrations of certain services, including Apple News (to cross-publish your content), Paypal (to accept payments), and OpenTable (to let guests make reservations), along with a couple dozen third-party extensions. While not as prolific as WordPress plugins, they should be able to meet most of your and your users’ needs, no problem.

How do you find the right Squarespace template for you?

To get started, head over to the Templates tab on Squarespace’s website and filter its library by Type and Topic to narrow down your pool of candidates. You can hit “Preview” on any theme that catches your eye to see what it would look like in the wild.

Squarespace recommends choosing a template based on your favorite colors and layouts rather than the demo content you see there: “You can change the style and layout of your site at any time, but you may find it easier to start with a design that’s already close to how you want your site to appear,” reads a page on its Help Center. “For example, the Dario demo site is designed for a wedding, but you could adapt it to accept RSVPs for a different type of event, or to gather pre-orders for a new product launch.”

If you’re having trouble settling on one, know this: It’s basically impossible to make an ugly Squarespace site, and with enough time and experimentation, you can tweak almost any template to fit your exact vision and needs. But just in case you need a nudge in a certain direction, keep reading: Below, we’ve rounded up 16 of the best Squarespace templates for all sorts of sites.

Note: Most of our recommendations are from Squarespace version 7.1, but we’ve sprinkled in a few options from version 7.0 that continue to stand out. Templates have been labeled accordingly.

Grubhub ordered to pay $3.5 million in Washington DC deceptive practices suit

Grubhub bag on a delivery bike on a street in NYC.

Do you ever order food online and realize what you thought would be a $12 chicken sandwich is actually more like a $50 chicken sandwich? 

That’s exactly what happened to a bunch of D.C.-area Grubhub customers. The food delivery company has been ordered to pay a whopping $3.5 million after it was found violating the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection and Procedures Act. 

“Grubhub misled District residents and took advantage of local restaurants to boost its own profits, even as District consumers and small businesses struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic,” D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said in a statement when he first sued Grubhub in March. “Grubhub charged hidden fees and used bait-and-switch advertising tactics — which are illegal. On top of that, the company deceived users with a promotion that claimed to support local restaurants during the heart of the pandemic. But in reality, this program cut into struggling restaurants’ profit margins while padding Grubhub’s bottom line.”

SEE ALSO:

The District of Columbia is suing Grubhub for hidden fees, misleading advertising, and more

The AG’s complaint alleged that Grubhub imposed hidden fees on users and listed items at higher costs than the restaurants’ very own menus did, the DCist reported.

Customers in the area will collectively receive $2.7 million of the settlement directly, which Racine told ABC News will be given in “a refundable credit and if the credit is not used within 90 days the money will be sent to customers in the form of a check.” The company will also have to detail each fee associated with its service at checkout.

Grubhub did not immediately respond to Mashable’s request for comment, but in a statement to ABC News said that settling was in “the best interest of our business” and that the issue is now “resolved.” The company added that it is “committed to supporting all restaurants and diners, and is taking a number of steps to ensure price transparency.”

The internet celebrates Barbara Walters’ most iconic moments

Barbara walters

Barbara Walters has died at 93. She was a feminist pioneer and the queen of TV journalists whose ability to interview subjects lead to not only some of the most important stories of our time but also some of the most bonkers viral moments on the internet.

“Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones,” Walters’ spokesperson Cindi Berger told CNN in a statement. “She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists but for all women.”

Friends, loved ones, and fans took to Twitter to celebrate the trailblazer’s life and remember the moments that made her the icon she is. For instance, her interview with V. Stiviano. When Walters asks Stiviano to describe her relationship with Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, Stiviano said, “I’m Mr. Sterling’s right hand arm. Man. I’m Mr. Sterling everything. I’m his confidant. His best friend. His silly rabbit.” 

That’s just one of her incredible interviews that set her apart from the rest: She also called out Sean Connery for saying that slapping women was fine; she told the Kardashians that they didn’t have any talents; she read an incredible line about “slapping a bitch” to Mariah Carey; she was fearless, and became known as a journalist who wouldn’t shy away from any question, no matter how outlandish they may be. 

Want to see a newly discovered comet? Look up in January.

Comet sweeping through the sky

Look up, stargazers: A comet discovered last March in Jupiter’s orbit is soaring through our space neighborhood.

The new comet, officially dubbed C/2022 E3 (ZTF) by the Minor Planet Center, is a bright ball of ice, dust, and rock. These glacial objects, known for their millions-of-miles-long streaks, are among the oldest in the solar system, leftover from the early days when planets around Earth were just forming.

The comet will be closest to the sun on Jan. 12, then make its closest sweep by Earth on Feb. 2, according to NASA astronomers.

SEE ALSO:

NASA’s Hubble confirms largest comet ever seen

Remember that space is a big place; the comet doesn’t pose any threat to this planet. Some have estimated the cosmic boulder will still be 26.4 million miles away at its nearest.

If you live north of the equator, astronomers recommend trying to spot the comet in the pre-dawn morning sky. It’ll become visible in the Southern Hemisphere in early February.

“Comets are notoriously unpredictable,” said Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in an explanatory video. “But if this one continues its current trend in brightness, it’ll be easy to spot with binoculars, and it’s just possible it could become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies.”


“It’s just possible it could become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies.”

A historical illustration depicting constellation Corona Borealis

In this circa 1824 astronomical chart, the constellations Hercules and Corona Borealis are illustrated.
Credit: History / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The comet is much brighter than when it was first detected and is now zipping across the Corona Borealis, a northern constellation, in the early morning darkness. NASA featured a photo of the comet taken by an independent astrophotographer on Dec. 19, 2022, which showcases its greenish orb, stubby dust tail, and long, faint gas tail.

“This comet isn’t expected to be quite the spectacle that Comet NEOWISE was back in 2020,” said Dyches, referencing the brightest comet since Hale-Bopp to come this way. “But it’s still an awesome opportunity to make a personal connection with an icy visitor from the distant outer solar system.”

Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter today.

Winter constellations to watch

January’s night skies are brimming with twinklers. Looking south or southeast in the first few hours after dark, stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere might catch some of winter’s greatest hits: Orion the hunter; the big dog constellation Canis Major; Taurus the bull; and, just east of Orion, Castor and Pollux, the heads of the Gemini twins.

Planet groupings and conjunctions

Throughout the month, planets appear to be squeezing in close for family photos, with four visible after each sunset, even without binoculars or a telescope.

  • Jan. 2: The moon and Mars will be high in the southeast, grouped with the Pleiades and Aldebaran stars.

  • Jan. 18-24: Venus will cross paths with Saturn about 45 minutes after sunset in the low southwest. Then, on Jan. 23, the crescent moon will make a photo bomb.

  • Jan. 25: About 30 to 45 minutes after sunset, high above Venus and Saturn, the moon should be butting up to Jupiter.

Why 2023 should be dubbed ‘Year of the Lunar Landers’

Peregrine-1 landing on the moon

Let’s be real: Who wants to follow a bang-up year like 2022 into the cosmos?

The new Space Age came alive with the opening of the James Webb Space Telescope, the new super-sensitive observatory in the sky, and the maiden voyage of Artemis, NASA’s moon-to-Mars campaign that will return astronauts to deep space. Not to mention that time the U.S. space agency successfully moved an asteroid just to prove it could.

But 2023, which could become known as the Year of the Lunar Landers, promises to keep launch pads scorching hot. Many missions are setting the stage for NASA’s Artemis endeavors as well as a future lunar economy. That’s largely thanks to the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program, established in 2018 to recruit the private sector to deliver cargo to the moon.

Here’s a round-up of some of the upcoming space missions slated to (fingers crossed) lift off this coming year.

SEE ALSO:

Outer space news that broke the internet in 2022

A word to the wise: Consider these no-earlier-than dates. When it comes to rocket launches, often delayed for a host of reasons, we’ll quote Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator for exploration systems development: “Plan a week trip to Florida for vacation, and you might see a launch.”

Lunar lander to study moondust and more: March 2023

NASA selected commercial partner Intuitive Machines to send a lander to Schroter’s Valley, a region on the nearside of the moon. During the IM-1 mission, the lander, called Nova-C, will study how rocket exhaust and space weather affect the lunar surface. The mission is slated to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The spacecraft, a six-sided cylinder standing on six legs, will carry five NASA instruments, among other unrelated commercial pieces of cargo, and demonstrate advanced landing technology. Fun fact: The lander will stay warm in frigid space like a lot of people do — with a coat. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Intuitive Machines partnered with Columbia Sportswear to use some of its insulation material on the spacecraft.

Lander preps for future ice-mining mission: January — March 2023

NASA tapped Astrobotic, another commercial partner, to deliver instruments and experiments to the lunar surface. The Peregrine-1 mission is expected to leave Earth on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the first quarter of 2023.

Peregrine is a precursor to the lander Astrobotic will eventually use to send NASA’s VIPER rover to drill for ice on the moon. It will carry versions of instruments the U.S. space agency wants to test before that important, crewless water-hunting mission, targeted for 2024. The boxy four-legged Peregrine will touch down on the “Lake of Death” region, a lava plain in the northeastern part of the moon’s nearside.

SpaceX’s Starship to embark on first orbital spaceflight: 2023

SpaceX testing Starship rocket

SpaceX stacked the Starship rocket at its South Texas launchpad in advance of a company update on the project in February 2022.
Credit: JIM WATSON / AFP Via Getty Images

Standing 400-feet tall, SpaceX’s Starship, an entirely reusable stainless steel contraption, could have about twice as much launch power as NASA’s mega moon rocket.

The Starship is a super-heavy-class rocket and spaceship that NASA plans to use for shuttling astronauts from its future lunar-orbiting base to the moon’s surface. That’s in addition to Elon Musk’s vision to use a fleet of Starships to one day build a settlement on Mars.

When will Musk debut this monstrous machine for its first orbital spaceflight? In true SpaceX fashion, the company is keeping the rest of us on a need-to-know basis. During a PR event last February, Musk said it would happen before the end of 2022.

Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter today.

Japan to send its own spaceship moonbound: April 2023

Not all of these crewless moon missions will leave from Florida’s Space Coast. The Japanese space agency, aka JAXA, will send its own lander to the lunar surface to demonstrate advanced precision landing with a small explorer.

The SLIM mission, short for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, is a rideshare flight carrying various payloads. It’s expected to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

India gets do-over for failed moon mission: June 2023

India’s space agency will try again to send a lander and rover to the highlands of the moon’s south pole, following the Chandrayaan-2 mission, in which the spacecraft crashed as it tried to land in 2019.

During this next Chandrayaan-3 mission scheduled for mid-2023, the Indian Space Research Organization plans to use a similar rover as the one used in the previous failed mission but with improvements to help stick the landing. The mission will launch on an LVM 3 heavy-lift rocket from a launch pad on Sriharikota, a barrier island of southeastern India.

Mission to deliver a NASA moon rover: June 2023

Contractor Intuitive Machines has the added responsibility of sending a NASA rover near the south pole of the moon later in the year. This mission, referred to as IM-2 or Prime-1, is to land and test a drill and mass spectrometer, a device that identifies the kinds of particles in a substance.

As currently planned, another spacecraft, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, will hitch a ride on this flight as well. The small satellite will orbit the moon to map out the locations of lunar water. The mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than June from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Russia to ship its first moon probe since the ’70s: July 2023

A Russian Soyuz 2-1B rocket preparing for lift off

A Soyuz 2-1B rocket prepares to launch a French spacecraft in this December 2006 photo.
Credit: STR / AFP via Getty Images

The former Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991, sent many robotic spaceships to the moon, but the upcoming Luna 25 will be the first lunar mission in post-Soviet Russian history.

Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, wants to send the lander to a region of the moon’s south pole. It will study the moon’s soil and atmosphere and help to develop landing technology. The spacecraft will launch on a Soyuz-2 rocket with a Fregat upper stage from a Vostochny Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Space Agency was expected to partner on the mission by providing a camera that would assist with landing. But Europe pulled out of the deal, along with other Russian space collaborations, because of the geopolitical conflict.

NASA to scope out its first metal asteroid: October 2023

Psyche flying through space

NASA’s Psyche mission will explore a metal asteroid for the first time.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU

And now for the palate cleanser from all of those 2023 lunar missions: For the first time, NASA will study an asteroid mainly composed of metals, like iron and nickel, from orbit.

The space rock 16 Psyche has long-intrigued planetary scientists, some of whom think it is all that’s left of an ancient planet after collisions that stripped away its rocky exterior.

But hold onto your hats. If the spacecraft leaves on schedule in October 2023, it won’t reach its main asteroid belt destination until August 2029. The orbiter requires a gravity assist from Mars about three years into its journey. NASA plans to launch the mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

European mission heads to Jupiter’s moons: 2023

Spacecraft exploring Jupiter's system of moons

The European Space Agency plans to study Ganymede and other Jupiter moons.
Credit: Illustration by ESA

The European Space Agency has its sights set on a mission to Jupiter, where it will fly by three of its icy moons and orbit one in particular, known as Ganymede.

The so-called “Juice” mission (a stretch to call an acronym for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, though maybe it’s fitting for Ganymede’s mythological namesake, who served as Jupiter’s personal cupholder), is intended to focus its research on Ganymede as a potential habitat, looking at its ocean layers and atmosphere.

ESA wants to launch the spacecraft on an Ariane 5 rocket from its spaceport in French Guiana on the South American continent. After a seven-year space cruise. It will use gravity assists from Earth and Venus to orbit Jupiter in 2031. It will also check out Jupiter’s moons Callisto and Europa along the way.

Other 2023 space mission events

  • June 20, 2023: The European Space Agency’s Bepi-Colombo mission is expected to make its third Mercury flyby.

  • Aug. 21, 2023: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe should make its sixth Venus flyby on its sun-studying mission.

  • Sept. 24, 2023: NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex mission will return to Earth following its long voyage to the carbon-based asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft, which collected samples in October 2020, is expected to land at the Utah Test and Training Range, west of Salt Lake City.

The best Squarespace templates for blogs about food, travel, fashion, and more

a woman writing a post on a squarespace blog

Editor’s note: Squarespace recently announced Squarespace Refresh, its annual release of new features and updates (including video monetization and custom merch tools). We’ll be updating this content with additional information in the weeks to come.

If your blog is your bread and butter, you’d better be sure it’s baked into a decent website. Being able to categorize posts, lay them out in an easy-to-navigate way, and break up walls of text with eye-catching imagery are all musts to keep readers engaged. (And if your site isn’t optimized for search engines, you probably won’t even have readers in the first place.)

Squarespace is the go-to website builder for many a blogger thanks to its hundreds of ready-made templates, which feature drag-and-drop page design tools that make it fast and easy to create a beautiful, functional site without a crumb of coding knowledge. Better yet, all of those templates are mobile-optimized for SEO purposes so you can reach readers wherever they are.

As we’ve written before, the hardest part about getting a Squarespace site up and running is really just settling on a template; from website metrics to SSL security, ecommerce tools, and video storage, the platform itself takes care of the technical details so you can focus on your passion project. Below, you’ll find Mashable’s guide to choosing the right Squarespace template for your blog (plus a selection of our current favorites in 2022).

What is a Squarespace template?

A Squarespace template/theme is a pre-made demo website that’s meant to serve as a “starting point to help inspire your site’s design,” according to the platform’s support center. You’re free to keep it mostly as-is or customize it from top to bottom with different content blocks (like text and galleries) and personalized branding elements (like fonts and colors). Either way, the fact that there are 234 of them to choose from means there’s an extremely slim chance your finished site will wind up looking like anyone else’s.

SEE ALSO:

The 25 best podcasts for writers

Squarespace versions 7.0 and 7.1 are the two iterations of the platform that are currently in use, and each one treats templates a little differently:

  • Version 7.0 organizes its 91 options into “families”; every family contains multiple templates with the same underlying structure, rules, and unique style elements (like the Brine family’s parallax scrolling effect, for example). Many Squarespace veterans prefer this version because some of its advanced design capabilities still aren’t available in version 7.1, but newer users may find it inflexible.

  • Released in early 2020, Version 7.1 scrapped the family categorization and gave all 143 of its templates the same basic formatting and features. They’re a little more cookie-cutter than version 7.0’s templates, but it’s way easier to switch between them and you don’t run the risk of losing any content when doing so. Version 7.1 sites also have the option of being built with Fluid Engine, Squarespace’s next-gen content editor, which comes with an intuitive grid system and more flexible mobile layout options.

It’s technically possible to move between both versions of Squarespace, but keep in mind that doing so will require a full rebuild and may affect your site’s search ranking. (Pro tip: Take advantage of Squarespace’s free 14-day trial if you’re not sure which one is right for you.)

What kind of blogging tools does Squarespace offer?

Squarespace lets you play around with a slew of settings in the back end of your blog no matter which version of the site you’re running. That includes:

  • Adding images, videos, and audio to posts (including podcasts)

  • Adding locations to posts

  • Enabling and disabling comments on posts

  • Managing post bylines and author profiles

  • Editing and customizing post URLs

  • Adding SEO titles and descriptions for posts

  • Adding alternate images for social sharing

  • Organizing posts with categories and tags

  • Adding post excerpts to the blog’s landing page (which displays them as a list or a grid, depending on your template)

  • Setting featured posts and images

  • Scheduling posts

  • Automatically sharing posts to social media

  • Sending posts via email

  • Enable AMP formatting for faster loading on mobile

Check out Squarespace’s blogging guide for tips and best practices on how to utilize these settings effectively.

How do you choose a Squarespace template for blogging?

Squarespace’s Templates tab lets you sort its library by type, including Online Store, Portfolio, Memberships, Scheduling, One Page, and yes, Blog. (You can narrow down your options even further by sorting by topics like Food, Travel, and Fashion.) But just because a template isn’t officially categorized as a Blog doesn’t mean it won’t work as a blog with a little customization; you can technically add a Blog Page to any template with just a few clicks in the back end.

If you’re having trouble choosing between templates, Squarespace recommends dialing in on the “specific colors and layouts that appeal to you” rather than focusing on the demo content. That being said, “you may find it easier to start with a design that’s already close to how you want your site to appear,” it adds. Here’s an example:

screenshots of the merida and maca squarespace templates side by side


Credit: Squarespace / Mashable composite

You can see that the Mérida template (on the left) has a magazine-style layout that lends itself well to blogging right off the shelf, whereas Maca (on the right) will need its ecommerce elements shuffled around or removed to bring its blog page front and center. You can get a great-looking site out of both of them, to be sure, but one will require way more tinkering than the other for this specific purpose.

Is Squarespace better than WordPress for blogs?

The “Squarespace versus WordPress” debate will come up a lot when you start looking into website builders. There’s no clear-cut winner when it comes to blogs, but answering the following questions will help make your decision easier:

  • Do you want a free website? Pick WordPress.

  • Do you want a super basic website that you can set up within minutes? Pick WordPress.

  • Do you want an all-in-one package with lots of built-in features and tech support? Pick Squarespace.

  • Is your blog heavy on visuals? Pick Squarespace.

  • Are you selling something? Pick Squarespace.

  • Are you planning on switching up your blog’s design from time to time? Pick Squarespace (specifically version 7.1).

  • Are you an expert programmer (or someone who’s willing to hire one) who wants to build a completely custom blog with powerful plugins and premium themes? Pick WordPress.

If you’ve decided to give Squarespace a shot — good choice — keep scrolling to explore nine templates that can work really well for different types of blogs right out the gate.

Note: Most of our recommendations are from Squarespace version 7.1, but we’ve sprinkled in a few options from version 7.0 that continue to stand out. Templates have been labeled accordingly.

How eat-the-rich comedies changed during COVID

Characters from

In the pandemic’s early days, a moment existed when we were all in it together. That sense of unity made an awful situation more bearable, but we weren’t all experiencing the same crisis. Income inequality grew, as the ultra-rich benefited from disaster.

In 2019, ahead of COVID-19 shutting the world down, Mashable’s Angie Han saw a trend of class warfare with the release of Knives Out, Hustlers, and Parasite. The cinematic stakes have only risen over the last three years as the gap has continued to widen between the rich and everyone else. 

Now, audiences derive even greater enjoyment from watching outsiders unseat the so-called elites. In a trio of 2022 films — Knives Out sequel Glass Onion, The Menu, and Triangle of Sadness — the pain of the ultra-rich feels even more like justice for moviegoers. We’ve earned the right to revel in their misfortune, making comedy the perfect vehicle for this celebration of schadenfreude. 

Throughout each movie, the filmmakers create feelings of disgust at these archetypes of privilege and power. We don’t feel jealousy of their success; it’s righteous anger at the unfairness in how they achieved it and delight at their fall from grace. The consequences they suffer in these films feel like the world is beginning to right itself — a triumph seemingly impossible off screen.

The ultra-rich of Glass Onion, The Menu, and Triangle of Sadness squander their privilege. 

Kate Hudson and Janelle Monae in "Glass Onion."


Credit: Netflix

These movies display disdain for those who find success without providing value. While on an ultra-luxurious superyacht cruise in Triangle of Sadness, Dimitry (Zlatko Burić) proudly reveals the source of his riches: selling shit. The Russian billionaire makes money — and tons of it — peddling literal waste. Fellow passengers Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) are models who didn’t even pay for the cruise. Instead, her influencer status has gotten them a free ride, albeit one that lands them marooned on a seemingly deserted island. 

Mark Mylod’s The Menu features a similarly exorbitant experience. In this horror satire set at a high-end restaurant situated on a remote island, customers pay $1,250 a head for a single dinner. Meanwhile in the real world, groceries cost 11% more than they did a year ago. Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) feels disgusted by his privileged customers who cannot recognize the work that goes into his team’s preparation of their meal, despite his de rigueur open kitchen. He blames them for his creative burnout, as well as for the exploitation of service workers whose lives have been wasted waiting on these affluent assholes. As justice, he plots the deaths of his guests, turning them into human s’mores as their own just desserts. 

SEE ALSO:

The cost of living crisis is wreaking havoc in friendships

Within the intimate dining room, there are plenty of people to hate, but especially egregious is a trio of finance bros (played by Rob Yang, Arturo Castro, and Mark St. Cyr) who flaunt their expense accounts and proximity to power. These men don’t produce anything; all they cook is the books, breaking the law to make money while brandishing their connections. These posh patrons relish the status of this exclusive dining experience, but not the work or craft put into it. Thus, they have earned every bit of the misery served to them on a silver platter.

Similarly, Glass Onion‘s characters actively make the world worse, including Twitch-famous misogynist Duke (Dave Bautista) and ex-model-turned-sweatshop-sweats-purveyor Birdie (Kate Hudson). Tech entrepreneur Miles Bron (Edward Norton) is the film’s prime example of the rich providing nothing of value. He calls his friends “disruptors,” though they have made little impact. When he invites them to his private Grecian island for a murder mystery party, each receives a treatment that removes the threat of COVID while the rest of the world is staying at home and anxiously awaiting a vaccine. Miles co-opted the work of his co-founder Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe) to create their successful company, while he speaks exclusively in malapropisms (“infraction point”) and offers terrible ideas (“Uber for biospheres”). All he really, really earns are eye rolls. 

Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc sees this truth of this Elon Musk-like man: The emperor has no brains. His only real invention is a device that disables the protective barriers of the Mona Lisa, inadvertently enabling both its and his own destruction. Andi’s twin sister Helen (Monáe) exacts her revenge using Miles’s latest ego-driven venture — highly flammable hydrogen-based fuel Klear — to destroy his brand, his island home, and the masterpiece he borrowed from the Louvre. The slack-jawed mouth-breather can only stand there and watch as everything burns, while Rian Johnson invites viewers to cackle and cheer.

The lesson? Hypocrites and sellouts won’t be spared. 

John Leguizamo in "The Menu."


Credit: Searchlight Pictures

It isn’t only the useless rich who incite the filmmakers’ wrath and the audiences laughs in these movies. Though Glass Onion‘s Claire (Kathryn Hahn) and Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) appear less odious than their friends, their willingness to sell out confirms they’re no heroes. Politician Claire has built her entire platform on fighting climate change, publicly pledging her support to Miles and Klear as a viable fossil fuel alternative. Similarly, scientist Lionel has voiced his concern about Klear’s dangers privately. Both refuse to speak out against Miles, on whom they feel financially dependent. Each puts their career ahead of the consequences until it literally blows up in their faces.  

SEE ALSO:

All those ‘Glass Onion’ cameos, ranked

Likewise in The Menu, George (John Leguizamo) may not initially seem as vile as his fellow diners. Sure, he’s a narcissistic actor desperate to turn his fading fame into a reality show about food, despite having no ability to charm off-script or speak intelligently about the subject. But Chef Slowik reveals his true sin: selling out, thereby wasting both others’ time and his own when he makes a terrible movie. Slowik spent a rare moment off work seeing a bad film George made for the money, and he’ll never get that precious time back. We can all sympathize, though we hopefully have a less murderous response to losing two hours in the theater. 

Slowik isn’t immune to his own criticisms, refusing to avoid the punishment meted out for his customers. He recognizes that he and his team are as complicit in the system he decries and is resigned to die along with everyone else.

Woody Harrelson in "Triangle of Sadness."


Credit: Searchlight Pictures

Ruben Östlund’s sun-drenched satire Triangle of Sadness targets the relationship between money, power, and beauty, getting quite ugly in the process. It’s never subtle, but its most direct condemnations of greed are voiced by the superyacht’s American captain (Woody Harrelson). As passengers gorge on truffles, sea urchin, and heaping spoonfuls of caviar, he has a hamburger. His position becomes clearer after he goes drink-for-drink with capitalist shit merchant Dimitry. They gleefully trade philosophical quotes, and he recognizes the irony of being a Marxist earning his living as a $250 million yacht’s captain. 

His avoidance of the spoiled seafood means he misses the food poisoning afflicting his fellow diners in a stomach-churning, giggle-inducing sequence. However, he doesn’t escape the passengers’ fate when pirates attack. Since he isn’t among the survivors in the third act, we assume he goes down with the ship, paying the ultimate price for his hypocrisy. “While you’re swimming in abundance, the rest of the world is drowning in misery,” he tells Dimitry, just before likely suffering that very fate.

Whether intentional or ignorant, cruelty is punished in 2022’s eat-the-rich comedies. 

Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr, and Kathryn Hahn in "Glass Onion."


Credit: Netflix

Even more than their laziness and hypocrisy, the cruelty and callousness of the reigning class are targets in these three films. 

In The Menu, clout-chasing, Instagram-obsessed Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is among the worst of the customers, but we only truly understand the depths of his depravity when we learn he knew everyone at the restaurant was going to die — and he still brought escort Erin (Anya Taylor-Joy) along as his unwitting date. His cruelty in consigning a stranger to death makes him as much of a murderer as Slowik, and with far less justification. Unlike his idol Slowik, Tyler isn’t motivated by righteous indignation or the concept of food as art that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of status. Tyler only wants to be seen in proximity to gustatory greatness, rather than doing the work to achieve it himself, as evidenced by his failure, humiliation, and subsequent suicide when he attempts to cook for the master chef.

Meanwhile, Glass Onion’s Birdie ignorantly tweets ethnic slurs and unironically compares herself to Harriet Tubman. She doesn’t see the damage done with her words, but her choice to use inhumane labor is measurably worse. Does Glass Onion get a bigger laugh than when we realize Birdie mistook a sweatshop for a place that makes sweatpants, and we learn that misunderstanding will be her downfall? She doesn’t have bad intentions, but neither does she seem bothered by the harm her ignorance causes. There’s a dark thrill in imagining the wealthy may be better off but not better than the rest of us. 

SEE ALSO:

That twisty ‘Glass Onion’ ending, explained

Each passenger on Triangle of Sadness‘s superyacht typifies the callous indifference of the rich. However, the final outrage comes from model Yaya. After being shipwrecked and swollen with fly bites, Yaya loses her only currency: beauty. Meanwhile, Abigail (Dolly De Leon), who was relegated to toilet manager on the ship, is now elevated to captain, all thanks to her survival skills. The swap in status exposes how power corrupts, as Abigail isn’t eager to lose what she’s gained when they realize rescue from the island is imminent.  

Eat-the-rich comedies leave no one unscathed.

Charlbi Dean and Dolly De Leon in "Triangle of Sadness."


Credit: Neon

In these films’ respective climaxes, the victor is a working-class woman who manages to outwit those of higher socio-economic status, wealth, and privilege… But at what cost? 

Glass Onion finishes with the Mona Lisa in ashes, but Helen — notably, a schoolteacher — has gotten her revenge against Miles and his “shithead” cronies. As his island mansion burns behind her, the audience echoes her satisfaction at the stupid billionaire finally getting what he deserves. Police boats are en route, bringing the promise of repercussions for what Miles has done. The audience knows justice can be bought both on and off screen, but there’s the hope that Miles’s reputation and fortune are too damaged to give him that privilege. We can take a moment to feel the triumph of this underappreciated teacher outmaneuvering a man who wormed his way into success. 

The Menu features a similar final shot, with the restaurant in flames as Taylor-Joy’s Erin escapes toward the mainland while munching on lowbrow fast-food fare. If this mass murder happened in the real world, we’d be scarred by the thought of humans burning alive, covered in melted chocolate and marshmallow goo, but this well-prepared satire delivers a moment of black comedy to an audience hungry for class inequity comeuppance.

Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy in "The Menu"


Credit: Searchlight Pictures

In a pivotal moment, Slowik asked Erin directly, “Are you with us, or with them?” Her status as a sex worker aligns her with his team. She provides a service rather than being a privileged consumer. She refuses to bow to the self-slaughtering fate Slowik orchestrated because she isn’t one of his acolytes, either in the kitchen or the dining room. Instead, by ordering a simple hamburger, she shows Slowik that she understands what he missed — creating delicious food that makes people happy, all for less than $10 — and giving him the opportunity to do it one final time. 

Triangle of Sadness is more ambiguous in its ending, offering a darker conclusion about power and wealth than its peers. For much of its third act, Abigail’s skills earn her place as the survivors’ queen, contrasting her with Helen and Erin, who masquerade as upper class and fool those around them. However, even when she’s in power, Abigail still works, a foreign concept to the once-posh passengers as they laze about in their own filth.

While The Menu and Glass Onion let Erin and Helen (and the audience) have their triumph, Triangle of Sadness is more cynical about proximity to power. In the final sequence, Yaya and Abigail discover they are on a resort island, their roles about to be reversed back by a return to so-called polite society. Recognizing this, Yaya offers Abigail a job as her assistant. It’s an insult to her savior. So, a crying Abigail creeps toward an oblivious Yaya with a rock in hand — the same weapon used to murder a donkey earlier in the film. Triangle of Sadness ends before we see Abigail kill Yaya, yet the implication is that she — like so many others before her — has been corrupted by her position, and she’ll do anything to avoid being dethroned. Her tears indicate that she hasn’t yet turned as cold as the passengers she served, but raising the rock beats the paper-thin regret displayed.

With death and destruction at their centers, these finales should be purely grim fare. However, these filmmakers created such reprehensible characters that we laugh at what ultimately befalls them, instead of feeling any empathy which might detract from the thrill of their comeuppance. And with each of the ultra-rich experiences devolving into murder, these films also expose that wealth might not be as enjoyable as it appears.

However, Triangle of Sadness leaves us with a tinge of its titular emotion. Abigail may have worked her way to the top, but she still succumbs to the same problems of hoarding and exploitation that she previously despised. Östlund makes the audience question if there can ever be worthy people in powerful positions, and it’s a far sharper critique of our systems of hierarchy and wealth than either Glass Onion or The Menu make. These two lighter films give us the triumph of David over Goliath that we so desire in the real world (and only occasionally get), while Triangle of Sadness hints that in his victory, David is doomed to become Goliath. 

2022 is over party: The 11 best tweets from the last week of the year

illustration of twitter bird with tweet about cleaning up

The year is almost over, just as fast as it arrived.

This weekend marks the end of 2022. It was, well, a strange year for Twitter to say the least. And 2023 will likely be even worse.

But through it all people kept tweeting. Because even as Elon Musk seems dead-set on driving the platform into the ground, it remains addictive until the very end — and we’re all committed to going down with the ship.

With that in mind, we collected the best and funniest tweets from the final week of 2022. What a way to go out. Here they are, the 11 best tweets of the week.

1. Sometimes you just have to answer with, “Yes.” That is fine. It is fine.

2. This is…exactly the same.

3. Yep, that is the difference. There it is.

4. You have to make sure your boyfriends are cared for, even if you are not home.

5. This joke is like three levels deep but if you get it, it’s great. If not, keep scrolling, it’s OK.

6. These 2023 predictions feel far too possible.

7. Delicato. Just a perfect show.

8. You are welcome.

9. This is a specific but real need for every writer out there.

10. An obligatory dril tweet.

11. And finally, a meme about one of the finest television shows currently on the air.

The best Kindles for taking all your favorite reads on the go

kindle kids, kindle scribe, and kindle oasis with blue and purple background

If you haven’t yet been converted to the lovely world of Amazon Kindle readers, I have to ask, frankly: What the heck are you waiting for?

I know, I know — nothing compares to the feel of a book in your hands as you thumb through page after enticing page. And there’s currently no true substitute for that delicious bibliosmia, aka that distinct “book smell” that results from the chemical breakdown of paper in a well-loved tome (though maybe some aromatherapists can get on that, stat). But since the Amazon Kindle’s release in 2007, it’s hard to imagine what things were like before these convenient devices made themselves a staple in most of our daily lives. Like, imagine having to pick one book to read at a time?! Or, perhaps even worse, imagine having to carry multiple books around with you wherever you go because you can’t be sure which one of your current reads will suit your mood when you have a few spare moments throughout your day. Nightmare fuel.

But we get it; there are a lot of Kindles out there to choose from. Whether you’re new to e-readers or simply can’t decide which Amazon Kindle reader you should upgrade to next, we’re breaking down all the details and key differences of every latest-model Kindle currently available to help you make the best decision for yourself. 

Why is a Kindle better for reading than a tablet or your phone?

Though they may be similarly sized, these handheld reading devices are not to be confused with a tablet or even a smartphone. Rather, Kindle e-readers are designed specifically for reading — and for doing so comfortably for hours at a time. This is made possible by the Kindle’s distinctive black-and-white-only, glare-free display that reads like paper, even when you’re sitting under a bright, sunny sky. 

Amazon Fire tablets were once referred to as “Kindle Fire tablets,” but they sit squarely in the traditional tablet category these days (i.e. they’re far better for browsing the internet, streaming content like Netflix or Spotify, and playing games than they are for reading text). You technically can use the Kindle app on a Fire tablet — just as you can on any WiFi-connected tablet or smartphone — but the fact that all of these devices have a glossy screen makes for a really subpar reading experience when compared to any true e-reader in today’s Kindle lineup. 

Tablets and smartphones also don’t offer the same battery life of a Kindle; whereas a tablet or smartphone can stay charged for hours or maybe even a few days, a Kindle has enough juice to last for several weeks between charges.

What should I look for in a Kindle?

When shopping for the best Kindles to fit your lifestyle, consider the following factors that are most likely to vary between models:

  • Display size. The smallest Kindle has a 6-inch display while the largest has a 10.2-inch display.

  • Storage capacity. Depending on the model, Kindles can have anywhere from 8 GB to 64 GB of storage capacity to stash many thousands of your favorite reads at a time.

  • Battery life. Kindles generally have outstanding battery life (depending on your usage), but some models are even more impressive. On the low end, they last up to six weeks per charge, while others last up to 12 weeks.

  • Waterproof protection. Not all Kindles are waterproof, but those that are provide peace of mind in case of accidental immersion in water without incurring damage.

Beyond those variable factors, all the latest Kindles boast a 300 ppi, high-resolution display with zero glare so you can enjoy sharp text and images at any viewing angle. All Kindles are also equipped with WiFi connectivity to allow you to access and download all the reading material you could ever want. (However, select Kindle readers also allow for free cellular connectivity so you have more options.) All Kindles offer parental control options as well, whether or not you’ve purchased a Kindle device specifically made for kids. Plus, you can listen to audiobooks on Audible via any Kindle’s built-in Bluetooth connection.

In most instances, you’ll also have the choice to select either an ad-supported or an ad-free experience for your Kindle, with the latter option typically costing about $20 more. If you don’t want to go for the mini splurge of nixing the advertisements, you’ll be “treated” to ads on your lockscreen every time you open the cover of your Kindle. That’s fine if you don’t mind swiping them out of the way every time you sit down to read. But if that sounds like as much of a tedious dealbreaker to you as it does to me, you’ll definitely want to just cough up those two Hamiltons. It’ll be well worth it, if only for the fact that opening the cover of your Kindle will feel more like opening up a real book (except even better, because it’ll bring you right to the last page where you left off).

What features do Kindles offer?

Beyond the aforementioned standard features that are found across most (if not all) of the latest Kindle models, there are also specialized features that you’ll find on the higher-end models. To narrow down the best Kindles for your lifestyle, you’ll want to consider your particular needs and preferences as you shop. 

Perhaps you like to read outside often; you’ll want a Kindle with an auto-adjusting light so you don’t have to worry about constantly fixing the brightness for optimal viewing in your current environment. Or, perhaps you tend to read during your daily commute and can’t rely on more than one hand being free to hold your reading material; you’ll want a Kindle with easy page-turn buttons so you can get to the next page one-handed, and automatic rotating page orientation so you can seamlessly switch from one hand to the other. Or, maybe you like to read before bed and want to cut out blue light that tends to keep us awake and alert; you’ll need a Kindle that has an adjustable warm light feature so you can shift the display color from white to amber. There’s even a Kindle that will allow you jot down notes on your texts for later reference!

What is the Kindle Paperwhite and is it different from other Kindles?

All Kindles are designed to be easy to read — just like the pages of a book — but the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite simply does it even better than the standard Kindle model. The Paperwhite boasts more than quadruple the LEDs on its front light than the baseline Kindle, so it’s even easier to read in bright environments. It also has a larger display, waterproof properties, and an adjustable warm light for less eye strain (i.e. less blue light), especially when reading before bed. 

The only potential downside is that the standard Paperwhite only has 8 GB of storage compared to the OG Kindle’s 16 GB. However, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition boasts a whopping 32 GB of storage as well as an auto-adjusting light and wireless charging.

Is there a monthly fee for Kindles?

All Kindle devices allow for instant access to the Amazon Kindle eBooks store where you can buy individual titles with no monthly subscription fee required. That said, Amazon Prime members can access free books via the Prime Reading service which would be subject to the current Prime membership rate. 

Beyond that, you can get a Kindle Unlimited subscription for $9.99 per month to gain unlimited access to more than three million titles and thousands of audiobooks, and borrow up to 20 eligible Kindle Unlimited titles at a time at no extra cost. You can typically opt into a few free months of Kindle Unlimited with your Kindle purchase to give it a spin, and you can cancel the subscription at any time.

When is the best time to buy a Kindle?

Because Kindles are one of Amazon’s cornerstone products, you’ll see their prices plummet during annual Amazon Prime Day events, which usually take place around July. However, if you can’t wait for the next Prime Day to roll around, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Back-to-School season, and other holiday savings events throughout the year will often find the price of Kindles slashed down to as much as 40% off — sometimes even more. 

Prime Day and Black Friday are also great times to save on a Kindle Unlimited subscription as a few months are typically offered to Prime members for a super-low price.

Outside of those big holiday markdowns, you can still find a Kindle at a lower price for a limited time every few weeks as the price fluctuates. So if you’re really looking for a bargain, keep an eye out and then take the plunge whenever you see the price drop.

Could Amazon become the big dog in the world of streaming sports?

A truck with the Thursday Night Football NFL Prime logo on its side

So apparently, Amazon really, REALLY likes live sports. 

The report that Amazon is working on a standalone sports streaming app is the latest potential development across the U.S. viewing landscape, as live sports have become the darling of major streaming services.

The move, which appears to be still in the discussion phase, was reported this week by The Information. It would add to the live sports content Amazon already offers through the company’s Prime Video platform — Thursday Night Football, along with Premier League coverage in the UK and New York Yankees games in four states.

The new app would expand on these investments and likely make Amazon an even bigger player in an area that has already proven lucrative for them.

SEE ALSO:

Amazon’s big NFL bet is an early win for Prime

Amazon spent $1 billion to get exclusive rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football for 11 years beginning this season. It paid off right away, as the very first game it streamed, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers, reportedly was the “most watched night of primetime in the U.S.” in Prime Video’s history.

But the move toward Amazon Sports (name and projected rollout TBD) is just the latest development in a crowded field of streaming services moving toward appointment television by broadcasting live sports.

Google and YouTube take on NFL Sunday Ticket

Last week, Google reached a deal to broadcast NFL Sunday Ticket on two YouTube iterations, beginning in 2023. The deal was worth roughly $2 billion a year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Currently available on DIRECTV, Sunday Ticket will be broadcast on YouTube TV as an add-on and also will be made available through YouTube through its Premium Channels feature.

Apple TV to show every MLS game — for an additional price

Apple and Major League Soccer reached a deal in June to show every league game, along with the Leagues Cup (a tournament that also features teams from Mexico’s Liga MX), without blackout restrictions on Apple TV.

However, to watch all the games, users will have to sign up to use MLS Season Pass for $12.99 a month/$79 a season for AppleTV+ subscribers or $14.99 a month/$99 a season for non-subscribers. AppleTV+ subscribers will get to watch a selection of MLS and Leagues Cup games for no additional cost.

And then there’s all the sports already out there

Across the packed live sports streaming scene, arguably the biggest dog out there is Disney, whose WatchESPN and ESPN+ apps show men’s and women’s college sports, NHL, and multiple European soccer leagues (Spain and Germany, among others), along with anything being broadcast on the ESPN networks. You can get ESPN+ via a standalone fee for just the ESPN apps or include it in a Disney+ bundle.

If you’re a fan of soccer, you probably already know that top leagues are spread across several apps: Paramount+ has the Champions League, Europa League, and Italy’s Serie A; FuboTV carries several European and South American leagues; and NBC’s Peacock has England’s Premier League.

Other sports are spread out among apps as well. Baseball, for example, can be seen on MLB.TV (Major League Baseball’s own service), AppleTV+ (Friday nights), Peacock (Sunday mornings), and, of course, local cable networks.

The NBA also has its own subscription services, NBA TV and NBA League Pass, in addition to games being made available on ESPN+ and various cable networks.

The report on Amazon’s plans to claim more territory in the ever-evolving world of streaming live sports content follows scrutiny of the company’s financial performance. Although details on Amazon’s new app remain to be seen, one thing fans can count on is continued competition in the valuable arena of live sports viewership.