How to Add a Forum to Your Squarespace Website

If you’re running a business, blog, online course, or creative platform, building a community is one of the most powerful ways to grow. A forum encourages connection, drives engagement, and increases the time visitors spend on your site. But here’s the challenge: Squarespace doesn’t offer a native forum feature in version 7.1.

Don’t worry, there are several professional ways to add a fully functional forum to your Squarespace website. Whether you’re looking for a free, embeddable solution or a robust off-site platform, this step-by-step guide will walk you through all the best options.

How to Add a Forum to Your Squarespace Website?

A forum serves as an interactive content hub where your users can:

  • Ask questions and share ideas

  • Get support from peers and moderators

  • Discuss products, tutorials, or blog topics

  • Contribute to a searchable knowledge base

  • Strengthen their relationship with your brand

For course creators, eCommerce brands, coaches, and community builders, a forum adds lasting value.

Option 1: Add a Lightweight Forum Using Disqus (Embed Method)

Disqus is a free discussion tool that lets you embed a comment forum directly into a Squarespace page using a simple code snippet.

Setup Steps:

  1. Visit https://disqus.com and create a free account.

  2. Under “I want to install Disqus on my site”, register your site and choose a short name (e.g., myforumsite).

  3. Copy the Universal Embed Code.

  4. In Squarespace, go to Pages → Create a New Page → Add a Code Block.

  5. Paste the embed code into the Code Block and save.

What You Get:

  • A fully functional comment thread

  • Threaded replies, likes, notifications

  • Moderation tools and spam filters

  • Guest or account-based participation

This method is ideal for small communities or blog-style forums.

Option 2: Create a True Forum Using an External Platform (Professional Solution)

If you’re building a larger, scalable community, it’s best to host the forum using a dedicated platform. These services offer powerful features like categories, member profiles, advanced moderation, and integrations.

Best External Forum Platforms:

Platform Strength Price
Circle.so Modern, community-first design From $39/mo
Tribe.so White-labeled, highly customizable From $49/mo
Flarum Free and open-source (self-hosted) Free
Muut Lightweight, embeddable forum From $16/mo

How to Connect:

  1. Set up your community on the platform of your choice.

  2. Map it to a subdomain (e.g., forum.yoursite.com or community.yoursite.com).

  3. Add the link to your main Squarespace navigation or footer.

  4. Match the design (colors, fonts, logos) for brand consistency.

These tools are great for businesses, online courses, membership sites, and software support forums.

Option 3: Create a DIY Forum Using Squarespace’s Blog Feature

Want to keep everything inside Squarespace without any third-party tools? You can simulate a basic forum using a Blog Page + Comments section.

How It Works:

  • Each blog post becomes a “topic” or “thread”

  • The comment section below each post acts as the discussion area

  • Use tags or categories to simulate forum boards (e.g., General, Support, Tutorials)

  • Allow members to submit new “topics” via a form or email

Pros:

  • No plugins required

  • Fully hosted on your site

  • Comments can be moderated

Cons:

  • No advanced search or member profiles

  • Lacks native forum features like upvotes, notifications, or real-time threads

Tips for Designing Your Forum Area in Squarespace

Regardless of the method you choose, here are some ways to create a seamless user experience:

Design Recommendations:

  • Use a dedicated menu link: name it “Forum,” “Community,” or “Support Center”

  • Add a hero section with a welcome message, participation guidelines, or search box

  • Highlight top categories or trending topics

  • Use consistent branding, match fonts, colors, and button styles to your main site

  • Include a clear Call to Action like “Start a Discussion” or “Ask a Question”

Summary Table

Method Platform Best For Pros Cons
Embed Disqus Squarespace Page Small public forums Free, easy Limited features
External Platform Circle, Tribe, Flarum Growing communities Robust, scalable Costs extra
Blog-as-Forum Native Blog + Comments Simple Q&A No third-party tools No real moderation tools

Final Thoughts

While Squarespace doesn’t have a built-in forum feature, it’s still entirely possible to host a clean, modern, and highly usable forum using the methods above.

Whether you go the simple route with Disqus, build a powerful Circle community, or craft a DIY forum from a blog, you’ll give your audience a space to connect, ask, and contribute.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does Squarespace Support a Forum Out of the Box?

Squarespace 7.1 does not have a built-in forum feature. No, there is no built-in forum for Squarespace 7.1. You can still build a fully functional forum using hacks like embedding Disqus, linking to something like Circle or Tribe, or doing a forum-esque setup with a blog + comments.

2. How do I add a forum to my website without having to use another platform?

The “best” integrated solution is to turn on WP’s blog, make a Blog Page, create a “discussion topic” for each blog post, and let people comment on each topic. Sparse on features, it is hosted on Squarespace and is simple to maintain.

3. Is there a way to make it private or accessible just to members?

Yes. Note that since Squarespace does not provide forum permissions, you’ll need to take it on yourself to align Member Areas with embedded forum tools, or utilize external platforms that permit member-only access. This is great for paid communities, course discussions, or private groups.

4. What are the pros and cons of embedding Disqus into Squarespace?

Pros:

  • Fast loading with copy-paste code snippets

  • Guest comments, moderation likes, and threads are all supported

  • Free to start

Cons:

  • Limited branding customization

  • Not ideal for complex community needs

  • Populated content via Disqus, not on your site directly

5. Does adding a forum hurt the performance of your site or SEO?

Not if implemented correctly. Light embeds or external linking won’t be a drag on your site. For those who do build, forums can be an SEO asset that fosters user engagement, dwell time, and content volume (assuming users continue to create discussions and search-friendly topics).