Squarespace Circle Day 2026: Every Announcement, Schedule and Speakers

Disclosure: SquareLocator earns a commission from some of the products linked in this article, at no extra cost to you.

Squarespace Circle Day 2026 took place on Wednesday 21 October, live from Squarespace HQ in New York and streamed free on YouTube. The headline announcement was Forma, a new AI-native builder for websites and apps, now in beta with a waitlist. The opening keynote also brought gradient fills for Stacks, a new React-based custom code module, a Squarespace MCP server for AI assistants, new commerce APIs and more. Below is every announcement from the keynote replay, what it means for designers and site owners, plus the full schedule and speaker list.

As a Squarespace Platinum Partner with more than 400 client builds behind us at Altitude Design, Circle Day is the one day a year where we find out what is actually coming to the platform. Last year's product sessions shaped how we quoted work for the following twelve months. This year's will too.

Watch the Circle Day 2026 opening keynote

Squarespace has now published the opening keynote on the Squarespace Circle YouTube channel. Everything in the announcements section below is taken from this replay.

Prefer YouTube? Watch the keynote on YouTube.

What Squarespace announced at Circle Day 2026

1. Forma: an AI-native builder for websites and apps

The big one. Squarespace describes Forma as an AI app builder that turns simple prompts into fully functional, custom apps and websites, with no code required. In the keynote, Squarespace's president described it as part of a new generation of products where "everything in the new is native. It's all AI native", and said Circle members were the first audience to see it. He was also candid that it is early: Squarespace is "building in public", partners are "in the earliest part of the alpha", and attendees were told to expect things to break. Access comes later through the waitlist at squarespace.com/forma, and there is still no pricing, documentation or launch date.

Squarespace said the Product Deep Dive later in the day would go further into Forma. We have covered Forma in depth:

• What Is Squarespace Forma? Everything We Know So Far
• Is Squarespace 7.1 Going Away? What Forma Means for Your Website
• Squarespace Forma vs Blueprint AI: What's the Difference?
• How to Join the Squarespace Forma Waitlist

2. 7.1 is not going anywhere yet

This was the reassurance many designers wanted. Squarespace's president said of 7.1: "We still have a strong runway ahead of us and you should expect to see us to continue to invest to support the millions of customers that are in that environment." The product team then spent most of the keynote demoing new 7.1 features, and noted that everything announced at last year's Circle Day (animations, Stacks, the layers panel and the right-click menu) has since shipped. Our 7.1 article sets out the full evidence.

3. Stacks: backgrounds, gradients, links and gap control

Stacks are Squarespace's native auto layout, where blocks flow one after another instead of sitting on the Fluid Engine grid. The keynote added three upgrades:

• Backgrounds: a stack can now take a solid colour from your palette or a custom colour, an image, or a gradient fill. Squarespace said this is the first time it has offered gradient fills anywhere, that it is "rolling out soon", and that it will not be the last place gradients appear. Ideal for card layouts.
• Links on stacks: you can link a whole stack, so an entire card is clickable. A link on a block inside the stack still takes priority when you hover over it.
• Custom gap control: hold Command to set one gap independently instead of every gap in the stack being the same.

For anyone who has paid for a plugin or written CSS to make whole cards clickable, this is worth testing before your next build.

4. Quality of life: vertical video and block locking

The video block now supports portrait orientation, so Reels, Shorts and TikToks no longer need workarounds. Block locking is also rolling out: lock a block from the layers panel or the right-click menu so it cannot be dragged by accident when you multi-select.

5. Image Studio

Image Studio, Squarespace's built-in AI image tool, got a full walkthrough. Anywhere you add an image (an image block or a section background), you can choose Generate image. You can set the aspect ratio, pick a style preset and choose how many images to create. Story Set generates a set of different images that work together on one page, and Reshoot takes a client's existing photos and reshoots them to look more professional and consistent. Squarespace said adoption has been strong.

6. A new custom code module with React and vibe coding

For developers this was the most significant 7.1 announcement. Squarespace showed a new custom code module that:

• accepts any React component, with Squarespace handling compiling and bundling, and supports third-party libraries;
• renders the output live inside the editor, which today's code block cannot do;
• will ship with a vibe coding agent, so you can describe what you want in plain English. The agent has context about your site, including pages and store products. The demo, a sortable product table, was generated from a single prompt.

Squarespace said you will hear about this "very soon" and that pasting code written with other AI tools is fine too. If you rely on plugins for tables, filters or interactive layouts, this could change what you need to buy. Squarespace's developer site also now publishes a Custom Code Specification: the HTML and CSS properties you can rely on not to change, which is good news for plugin stability. Our custom CSS guide and plugin directory are the places to start for now.

7. Drafts, autosave and version history

The editor demo ended with no save button: the page had been autosaving into a draft. Squarespace confirmed it is working on drafts with autosave and version history, and asked Circle members for feedback on the more complicated draft and versioning workflows. No release date was given.

8. Customer profiles and SMS campaigns

Two features for running a business. A new customer profile pulls activity for each customer from across the Squarespace products your client uses into one view. SMS campaigns have just launched as a new marketing tool. Squarespace shared an anecdote that the first customer to use it saw a 1% click-through rate on an email campaign and 29% on the SMS campaign, with a reminder to use it responsibly.

9. The Squarespace MCP: use Squarespace from Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini

Squarespace announced an MCP server, which lets AI assistants call Squarespace tools mid-conversation. According to Squarespace's developer documentation, it currently offers domain tools only: brandable name ideas, real-time availability and pricing, and a checkout link for each available domain. It is a remote server at mcp.squarespace.com/mcp, needs no API key or account, is read-only, and works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other MCP clients. Purchases only happen when the user follows the checkout link to squarespace.com.

The keynote also previewed what comes next. Commerce tools are due "in the coming weeks", letting you manage products, orders, contacts and inventory from your AI assistant, across several sites in one conversation and limited to the permissions you have. Website functionality is expected by the end of the year. The demo showed a tutoring business finding new mailing list sign-ups, fixing a typo in an email address and adding class spaces, all from a chat.

10. Developer platform and new APIs

developers.squarespace.com was revamped this year. Getting OAuth credentials for an app you want to share is now a quick self-service flow instead of a form, and the documentation has been rewritten so it is easier for both people and AI agents to read. APIs launched this year include Contacts, Discounts, payment plans and Orders, with a Carts API coming soon to help recover abandoned carts. For plugin makers and agencies building client integrations, that is a big step up in what is possible.

11. More extensions: HubSpot, reviews and Notion

The extensions directory is growing. HubSpot is live and designed to work with Squarespace's CRM, with Salesforce and more marketing tools coming. Google reviews and Facebook reviews extensions are also live, and Notion and other productivity tools are due later this year. If you currently use a third-party widget for reviews, compare it with the native extension; our review and testimonial plugins guide covers the alternatives.

12. One deadline to note: Markdown block changes

Not a Circle Day announcement as such, but the most time-sensitive item for anyone with custom code. Squarespace is changing how Markdown blocks handle scripts, and the Circle opt-out window ends on Monday 26 October 2026. If you or a plugin rely on scripts inside Markdown blocks, move them into Code blocks or code injection. Our guide to adding plugins shows where code should live.

What it means for designers and site owners

My read after watching the replay: 7.1 is getting meaningful design upgrades, not just maintenance, so client sites built today are a safe bet. The custom code module and the MCP are the two announcements most likely to change how agencies work over the next year, and the expanded APIs are a clear signal to plugin makers. Forma is the long-term direction, but by Squarespace's own description it is an early alpha, so I would not change how you quote or build client work until it is in our hands and properly tested.

Circle Day 2026 at a glance

• Date: Wednesday 21 October 2026
• Live stream: 9:30am to 5:30pm ET (2:30pm to 10:30pm UK time)
• Where it streamed: the Squarespace Circle YouTube channel, with a live chat for online attendees
• In person: Squarespace HQ, 8 Clarkson Street, New York
• Cost: free for everyone, Circle partner or not
• Recordings: the opening keynote replay is now on the Squarespace Circle YouTube channel (embedded above). Other sessions are being published after the event.

Full live stream schedule (ET and UK times)

The online stream mixed the main stage sessions from New York with several online-only talks. UK times below are BST.

ET	UK	Session	Speaker(s)
9:30am	2:30pm	Welcome and introduction	Puno, ilovecreatives
9:35am	2:35pm	Opening keynote: new tools for designers and developers	Squarespace product teams
10:25am	3:25pm	How a Website Fits Into Your Client's Bigger Marketing Plan (online only)	Nicole Martinez, n/volve collective
11:00am	4:00pm	Why AI Recommends Some Businesses, and Ignores Others (online only)	Tom Smeaton, SEO Manager, Squarespace
11:25am	4:25pm	Vibe Coding: Hype, Risk, and Where It Actually Fits	Becca Harpain, Dave Hawkins, Will Myers
12:10pm	5:10pm	Gatsby Fridays special edition (online only)	Alex Chimilio and Serra Semi
12:40pm	5:40pm	Build It, Teach It, Let It Go: client empowerment (online only)	Victoria Banuelos, PUESTO
1:10pm	6:10pm	In conversation with Anthony Casalena	Founder and CEO, Squarespace
1:55pm	6:55pm	Design for Funding: What Actually Moves the Needle (online only)	Michael Fine, Studio Fine
2:30pm	7:30pm	The Future Is a Vibe: Web Design in the Age of No-Code (online only)	Hailey Benton and Rose Cawley, The Creatives
3:00pm	8:00pm	Building Products in the Squarespace Ecosystem	Nick Ippolito (SquareKicker) and Will Myers
4:00pm	9:00pm	Product Deep Dive	Squarespace product teams
4:40pm	9:40pm	Creative Resilience	Andy J. Pizza, Creative Pep Talk

The sessions worth catching on replay

1. Opening keynote and Product Deep Dive

These two Squarespace-led sessions bookended the day. The opening keynote (embedded above) covers 7.1, the custom code module, the MCP and the new APIs; the Product Deep Dive went further into Forma. For agencies, the practical questions are what changes for client handover, what new developer access there is, and whether anything replaces a plugin you currently pay for.

2. Why AI Recommends Some Businesses, and Ignores Others

Squarespace's own SEO Manager, Tom Smeaton, presented findings from a study of 1.2 million AI search citations, focused on service businesses rather than ecommerce. Most of our client base at Altitude is hotels, charities and professional services, so this is the session most likely to change how we brief content for clients. Our guide to Squarespace's AI Visibility tool is a useful companion.

3. Vibe Coding: Hype, Risk, and Where It Actually Fits

Three of the best-known names in the Squarespace developer community on one panel, and even more relevant now that Squarespace has shown its own vibe coding agent. Becca Harpain of Inside The Square, Dave Hawkins of Made by Dave and Will Myers talked through how AI is really being used in working Squarespace practices: proposals, site audits, and custom code that respects Squarespace's native behaviour and breakpoints. Dave is the developer behind SiteViewer (our SiteViewer guide) and the Squarehead advanced Squarespace course. Will Myers is one of the most prolific plugin builders on the platform; you can browse all Will Myers plugins on SquareLocator, including Site Nav Replacer and Sidebar Page Navigation.

4. Building Products in the Squarespace Ecosystem

The session that matters most for anyone selling plugins, templates or tools. Nick Ippolito of SquareKicker and Will Myers covered how to find problems worth solving, validate before building, and run a product business rather than just launch one. With new Contacts, Discounts and Orders APIs live and a Carts API on the way, the timing is good for third-party developers. SquareKicker powers a large share of the premium templates we list; see SquareKicker templates and our SquareKicker guide. For context on what actually sells, our State of the Squarespace Marketplace 2026 report is a useful companion.

5. In conversation with Anthony Casalena

Squarespace's founder and CEO on human creativity in an age of automation. With Forma announced the same day, his view on the role of professional designers is worth hearing directly.

In-person breakout sessions

The New York audience also had small roundtables led by Circle members. These were not streamed, but several hosts run products listed on SquareLocator. Omari Harebin of SQSP Themes, maker of the Lightbox Anything add-ons and other SQSP Themes plugins, hosted a session on the internal limits that hold design businesses back. Hannah Ippolito of SquareKicker led one on expanding your offer as the market changes, and Becca Harpain hosted a session on stepping away from your business without it falling over.

How to watch the sessions now

• The opening keynote is embedded at the top of this article and on the Squarespace Circle YouTube channel.
• Other sessions are being published after the event. Check the Squarespace Circle YouTube channel and the Circle blog, which has already started publishing write-ups such as its Behind the Build piece on three Circle partner sites.
• Circle partners should also watch the Circle dashboard and weekly release notes, where follow-up details on new features usually appear first.

Frequently asked questions

When was Squarespace Circle Day 2026?

Wednesday 21 October 2026. The live stream ran from 9:30am to 5:30pm Eastern Time, which is 2:30pm to 10:30pm in the UK.

What did Squarespace announce at Circle Day 2026?

The headline was Forma, an AI-native builder for websites and apps, in early beta with a waitlist. Squarespace also confirmed continued investment in 7.1 and showed Stacks backgrounds with gradient fills, whole-stack links, block locking, vertical video, a React-based custom code module with a vibe coding agent, drafts with autosave, SMS campaigns, the Squarespace MCP server and new commerce APIs.

Is Circle Day free to watch?

Yes. Both the online stream and the in-person event were free, and you did not need to be a Circle partner to watch online.

Can I rewatch Circle Day 2026?

Yes. The opening keynote is on the Squarespace Circle YouTube channel and embedded in this article. Other sessions are being published after the event.

What is the Squarespace MCP?

An MCP server that lets AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini use Squarespace tools in a conversation. Today it offers domain name ideas, availability, pricing and checkout links. Squarespace said commerce tools for products, orders and contacts are coming in the following weeks, with website tools expected by the end of the year.

Is Squarespace 7.1 being replaced by Forma?

Not any time soon, based on the keynote. Squarespace's president said 7.1 has "a strong runway ahead" and that Squarespace will keep investing in it for its millions of customers, and most of the keynote was spent on new 7.1 features.

Disclosure: SquareLocator earns a commission from some of the products linked in this article, at no extra cost to you.