Ranking #1 as the best startup city, according to the Startup Heat Map, London has plenty of coworking spaces, which provide an ideal solution to wandering workers by offering customisable membership plans and enable individuals to select working hours that suit their productivity peaks. But apart from flexibility, there’s more to evaluate when considering which coworking space to pick in London. We’ll highlight the best coworking spaces in the United Kingdom’s capital — and provide insights into why they are in demand.
How much does renting a co-working space in London cost in 2023?
From futuristic indoor setups to artistic sanctuaries and eco-conscious hubs, each space on our list has at least something attractive about it. But it still boils down to the money. The United Kingdom is infamously costly, and prices vary depending on the neighbourhood, amenities, and overall package, ranging from £125–£1,600.
Tips on choosing the right co-working space
Make sure to double-check some key factors to make your final decision adjust as best as possible to your basic needs and demands. Here are some things to remember while scouting for your next workspace:
1. Amenities
Foremost, make sure the place matches your Wi-Fi speed requirements. You might also want to check on any extra office garments such as chargers, projectors, pens, whiteboards, headsets, or snacks that might be helpful for your day-to-day operations.
2. Mobility and flexibility:
Make sure to check for mobility options available: different working spaces, desks, and locations for you to work in. The standing desk is so fashionable in 2023 that it might be a regular sight anytime soon…
3. Location
It’s hugely relevant to ensure the workspace’s location is a good fit for your needs. A few questions you can ask yourself while searching are: How long will it take to get me there? Will I need to commute? Should I look into parking places? Is it a busy area? Should I take any extra costs into account? May I wound up being called as an extra for a TV show or fantastic fantasy film?
Top co-working spaces in London in 2023
Whether you're a tech worker just starting out, a developer who’s already built a career but can’t stand working on the same laminate desktop with a budding plastic plant sitting on top — also known as a home office — for the fourth time in a row, or, well, even someone who’s sorting things out, London will most probably have you covered. Hop onto the last ticket to the coworking spaces in London as we review some of the city’s best coworking spaces. Please note that the prices and amenities shown below are sometimes quite precise, other times just estimates, and every time are subject to change at any time. The list follows no specific order or ranking.
1. Fora Central Street
Location: 71 Central Street, London. Check for other locations here.
Prices: £375-£675 per desk/month
At Fora, wellness takes centre stage, with a resounding message: “Find your balance.” (To their credit, it’s a non-cheugy way of stating something very consequential). Fora, which offers detailed concierge attention and has plenty of offices around London and beyond, seems to check all the boxes a Big Tech company would have checked on around 2019: flexible desks, amenities, coffee, and people sitting by your side doing something entirely different to your JavaScript strings. It comes around as a great place to entirely focus and punch in code. But some people say that their Central Street office doesn't have natural light, so some corners are a little too dark and too gloomy.
Some amenities include kitchens, a terrace, a barista bar, showers, and a reading room. The in-house service focuses on guest attendance and IT requirements, allowing the members to focus on their work. Lastly, Fora holds regular events focused on networking and skills development.
2. Arboretum
Location: 2A Charing Cross Rd, London
Prices: Memberships range from £20 day passes, to £450 individual memberships.
Arboretum believes itself to be a hideout for stressed-out Londoners who can get valuable R&R and pay their bills via a comfortable workspace. Providing a greenish, woodsy, welcoming, and cosy display, Arboretum — which, you’ll know from calling out the arborists to prune the willows on your lawn, brings back to the Latin word for trees — is all about making its members feel comfortable regardless of their seniority or experience. This workplace includes unique meeting rooms, fast Wi-Fi, phone booths, a lounge space to network, and an event salon. It also offers the possibility to host events and for members to enjoy the boutique gym and office spaces.
Besides the diplomatic and corporate gatherings, comedy events take place regularly. The online response seems to be split in between those who attend the sessions — who believe the venue is a little too squeezed — and those who rent it for their stand-up, which always brings up the professionalism and good manners in which Arboretum’s staff treats them. So, were you planning to pivot from TypeScript to improvisational jokes?
3. The Ministry
Location: 79-81 Borough Rd, London
Prices: Prices vary from £40 day passes to £3200 monthly offices. All memberships include gym and fitness classes, a deli, and bar, a dog-friendly workspace, natural daylight, high-speed Wi-Fi, secure bike storage, and social and cultural events. Yes, it seems like a London mini-town jam packed into a coworking space.
We all love retrofitted Victorian buildings that preserve a lovely frontage but, on the inside, now feature skylights on one side and Nordic chairs on the other. It might not be Victorian, but that’s what The Ministry evokes. An inspiring communal environment focused on making both the working and not working — think music, waging bets, and comedy sessions — experiences at least a wee memorable, as it hosts parties that make the after-work drinks feel like an old memory. It is a workspace designed by creatives, for creatives who merge everything into one place. No need to meet in the club at the end of the street after a long workday when you have everything (from a nightclub to a gym) all in the same place.
4. Work.Life Camden
Location: 3 Hawley Cres, London
Prices: From £360 monthly per desk to £900 per private office per month
Work.Life is all about making teams happy. Mad Men style, they believe that workspaces should promote collaboration, socialisation, and inspiration. They focus on creating workspaces that boost productivity and build more content and engaged teams. It’s the perfect HQ for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a family-friendly, collaborative, and friendly workspace with a sociable atmosphere — think of a bootstrapped sustainable startup that has cast off the hustle culture and favours a more person-centric approach.
Some amenities are showers, free yoga classes, weekly free breakfasts, lunch and learn events, weekly beer and pizza nights, wellness perks and discounts, regular social events, free tea, coffee, snacks and refreshments, and comfortable breakout spaces. Work.Life has plenty of assets: they count with more than 10 spaces across the UK (most in London); they offer both offices and coworking space options; and, most importantly, they cling to the dear URL of work dot life. That’s a winner.
5. The Office Group at the Shard
Location: 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG
Prices: Prices range from £98 per hour for meeting rooms to £1100 monthly for private offices.
Just a minute's walk away from the notorious London Bridge’s selfie army, The Office Group at the Shard is a design distinctive workspace that invites members to relish in the spacious lounges, event spaces, private phone booths, and equipped kitchens. This all takes place while admiring the 24th and 25th-floor views of London. The mixture of the wooden cosiness of the furniture and the modern structure eluded by the building makes this workplace truly one of a kind. Almost a hundred quid an hour for meeting rooms may look like too much, but The Office Group seems like the kind of location you’d want to bring a client in while closing on a juicy deal to revamp an entire web app.
6. Makerversity
Location: Somerset House, Victoria Embankment, London, WC2R 1LA
Prices: Costs vary from £50 to £3000 per month, depending on the types of accommodations requested. They also offer free memberships for people under 25 (for the first three months) and for makers with a mission (for the first six months).
If you need to do a hands-on job or make an idea come to life, Makerversity is the place to go. Equipped with machines — think of saws and grinders — and tools, this coworking space welcomes professional ‘makers’, meaning, anyone who is in the business of making for a living. From designers to craftsmen to artists, Makerversity provides a platform full of resources to make one's project bloom. If what you are looking for is a workplace to form tangible synergy (or to have free breakfast on Wednesdays), Makerversity is the place to go. It’s also an excellent scenario for TikTok rising stars to document the alleged differences between tradespeople and white-collar developers — could a viral hit be in the making in Makerversity?
Co-working in London
These were just some of the best co-working spaces in London in 2023. Make sure to select your preferred one according to what you and your team need. No matter your position or experience, there is, somewhere, a not-so-costly workspace waiting for you in the English capital. If you know that a place is right for you, but you’re still behind the exact project that could foot the tab and also give you room to grow professionally, we suggest you head to our job board. At WeAreDevelopers, we compile pre-vetted opportunities for the best programmers in Europe — and many of them could help you work in London. Good luck!
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