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Parallax scrolling effects can add depth to your images and make your website more interactive. However, the slower page loading speeds and mobile compatibility issues have always concerned me.
Squarespace must have shared my concern because its latest version, 7.1, mostly ditched parallax scrolling. (you can still manually add parallax images to 7.1 templates). Luckily, lots of earlier templates – 29, to be exact – still include the effect. And since it’s Squarespace, these templates still load pretty quickly.
I was also impressed by the variety of template styles and categories that include parallax scrolling, from portfolio pages to landing pages to e-commerce templates. Below, you’ll find some of my favorites across multiple categories.
If you don’t want to work with an outdated version of Squarespace, don’t worry. I’ll talk about how you can add parallax images in 7.1 templates, plus give you some options from other website builders.
All Squarespace templates with parallax scrolling effects are from version 7.0. Squarespace’s template library doesn’t let you sort templates by their version, but you can use this link to see all 7.0 templates1.
Squarespace templates are grouped into families by style attributes. Interestingly, all 29 templates that support parallax scrolling belong to the Brine family.
You can browse by category, but I recommend selecting “All Templates” to widen your search.1
These templates are scattered across different categories, and they’re not always where you would expect. But don’t worry – it’s easy to find my picks. Just click “All Templates” on the version 7.0 template page and start browsing.
If you want to use parallax scrolling on 7.1 templates, it’s pretty easy: you just need to add a background image and then customize its effects. One of the effects you can choose from is parallax scrolling. However, 7.1 templates don’t support site-wide parallax scrolling images, so the effect would be limited to individual pages.
With that aside, let’s take a look at the best Squarespace templates with built-in parallax images.
Burke lets you display a series of parallax images all in a row.1Burke is a powder-white photography template that goes all in with parallax scrolling, using it almost everywhere. It’s a great choice if you’re a photographer and want to share your best work right off the bat.
Below the header image and gallery section, there’s a series of full-width images with overlaid text to tell your story visually. This is a great way to show your hi-res photos right on the homepage – without making your visitors click on tiny thumbnails to load the full image in a lightbox or on a separate page.
Burke also features a Gallery page for sharing your full portfolio as well as a Journal page to post your latest updates and engage your visitors.
Each item stands out thanks to radically different background images.1Cacao is a truly unique e-commerce template that uses creative image-on-image parallax scrolling to highlight its products.
Each homepage section features a different product image against a parallax background, making each section feel like a separate product page. It’s a great way to make your product images stand out, and you can pair each one with a background that matches its mood.
But Cacao’s creative design doesn’t end there. It also uses parallax on its About page to highlight three text columns (a great way to organize your story). Even the Help page has a well-crafted layout. So, if you’re selling a small number of products that deserve special attention, Cacao is a superb option.
The design of Greenwich has a very simple and relaxed vibe.1Greenwich is proof that parallax effects don’t need to be heavy-handed (or used only on full-width images) to make an impact.
The homepage images are large, yes, but they’re wrapped in thick margins that give your photos room to breathe. This template features lots of white space and a small font, giving it a clean and calm look.
And if you’re a designer or artist, Greenwich’s parallax effects can help enhance your work in the smaller images as well as the headers.
Greenwich includes an About page as well as a Work page where you can display your full portfolio.
Moksha lets you include lots of content without looking cluttered.1Moksha is a big, full-featured template that would be a great choice for hotels or businesses with lots of services to show off. It lets you share tons of content in an engaging way that will keep visitors scrolling.
The homepage sections alternate between lush, full-width parallax images and calmer, non-parallax text and images on a solid white background. It’s a great combo that allows you to tease multiple offers without overloading your visitors.
Moksha’s secondary pages (there are lots of them!) wisely keep the parallax to the header and use the rest of the space to communicate your key info with artfully arranged text.
The parallax scrolling images in Sonora provide great transitions between sections of the page.1
Some parallax templates try to layer too much on top of the background image and end up looking cluttered.
Not Sonora. This template lets your photos stand on their own so they get all the attention they deserve. The full-screen images can act as transitions between your text or as headers for the next series of sections.
The large title text contrasts well with the smaller body text, and the slim columns make everything easy to read.
Sonora’s built-in Schedule and Attend pages make this a great template for event websites, but its focus on wide-open images is ideal for artists or other creatives that want to let their work speak for itself.
The minimal use of parallax means sites with this template should perform well1Rally is unique on my list because it’s a blog template and uses parallax effects gently. It nestles just two parallax images in between typical blog content sections, like recent and featured posts.
This light touch keeps your blog content the priority, while also making things more engaging. Plus, the parallax images are used to highlight CTA buttons, so the effect isn’t just artful – it can drive sign-ups.
Want help finding the right 7.1 template instead? If you want to use the most updated version of Squarespace, remember that you’ll have to add parallax scrolling manually. While this gives you a bit more work, it means you have more options. I recommend searching for templates that fit your brand identity, as you normally would. Just keep an eye out for templates with large, well-placed images, as those would be easy to add parallax scrolling effects to.
Didn’t Find What You Were Looking For? Check Out These Parallax Templates from Our Favorite Site Builders
I know you’re here for Squarespace’s best parallax templates, but I wanted to throw in some options from our other top-rated website builders. Squarespace is great, but it doesn’t hurt to see how other services handle parallax scrolling.
Parallax combined with creative layouts can look really, really nice.Asian Restaurant offers a taste of just how creative some Wix parallax templates can get. This template features bright blocks of color that overlap with half-screen parallax images, while alternating sections feature smaller images in unusual arrangements.
Its bold angles and playful asymmetry give it so much character that it looks almost like a custom-built design.
This is obviously a great choice for a restaurant, but it could also work well for creative entrepreneurs or anyone looking to sell products with a unique style.
I didn’t show it here, but this template has a parallax image header too1Go Dance Festival is a very simple template, oriented around pushing site visitors to just a single action. Unlike the other templates here, which feature parallax images strongly, this template uses parallax images in the background. In this case, it makes the all-important ‘buy tickets’ button more dynamic.
If you like Go Dance Festival and how it uses parallax scrolling, you’re in luck – because SITE123 has a lot of other templates with a very similar structure.
That first image actually isn’t parallax – it’s just a big, animated image!1
One nice thing about Landscape Photographer is that it mixes other dynamic effects with parallax images. Every page has a large header of a slow-moving animated image. The homepage has both the animated image on top and a parallax shot in the middle.
This combination is pretty solid for a portfolio: you can highlight your best works first, with a slow animation, then highlight your other star pieces with parallax scrolling. Editing a template with all those effects might sound daunting, but don’t worry: Web.com is one of the simplest builders around.
Picking the Right Parallax Template
While Squarespace 7.1 has stopped emphasizing parallax scrolling, the 7.0 template library still has an impressive variety of great-looking parallax templates, with an option for most types of websites.
This catalog contains patterns for all kinds of websites, but your selection will hinge on the kind of website you’re constructing, along with the design feel you’re aiming for. The great thing is – there’s a lot to pick from.
On the other hand, if you’re hooked on parallax but aren’t set on Squarespace, you can check out our list of the best parallax Wix templates for even more options.
FAQ
Does Squarespace support parallax scrolling?
The templates in the newest version of Squarespace, 7.1, do not come with parallax scrolling already built in. However, you can manually add the effect to 7.1 templates. You can also use 29 great parallax-scrolling templates from the 7.0 version, most of which are in the Brine template family.
To learn more about the difference between versions 7.0 and 7.1, read our full Squarespace review.
Which is better, Squarespace or Wix?
It depends on the kind of website you want to build. Wix gives you the most design flexibility and has a much larger library of templates. This means it really does have something for everyone, including some truly unique template options with parallax scrolling.
Squarespace, on the other hand, is aimed more toward creatives and small businesses, and it focuses on sleek, stylish templates in a minimalist style.
Is parallax scrolling good for websites?
Yes and no. Parallax scrolling adds depth to your images and an overall sense of interaction to your website, but it can also be distracting and slow down your page loading time. Thankfully, Squarespace templates mainly use parallax scrolling on just the banner images, so you don’t have to worry about going overboard.
Does parallax scrolling work on mobile?
Yes, parallax scrolling works for Squarespace websites on mobile. The quality of the effect, however, can vary based on the type of phone and the browser – which is why other site builders automatically disable parallax for mobile browsers. For some tips on making a site that looks good on all devices, see our guide to building a website in 2024.
Alex specializes in website-building services. Before joining Website Planet in 2021, he spent four years testing and writing reviews of website builders, web hosts, and VPNs. He also spent a few years as the editorial lead for a news startup. He earned his BA from Soka University of America in 2018. If he’s not reviewing website builders, he’s working on one of several hobby blogs he’s built on WordPress.
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