It’s easy to grow tired of your own company when you’re freelancing from home. And cafés and coffee shops can lead to headaches for so many reasons.
So, if you’re looking for a place you can plug in your laptop and get some serious work done, what are your options?
Coworking is a great and affordable alternative to consider, but London also offers a large selection of free offices.
UNCOMMON – Fulham
Sometimes, charities offer free desk space in their offices in exchange for your skills. By giving up some of your time to help a charity, you can grab yourself a seat without having to spend.
Location can vary, and this is only a viable option for those who have some time to spare.
Huckletree – Liverpool Street
Fora – Whitechapel
Hangar58 – 58 City Road, EC1Y
Hosted by hip Runway East Shoreditch, this free cafe, bar and event space for London’s founders, investors and startup enthusiasts is in a fantastic location: just 50 metres from Old Street Roundabout.
Arrive as early as 8 AM weekdays to enjoy free WiFi and fresh coffee, courtesy of CruKafe’s baristas.
This hangout is a popular destination for techies looking to work, relax, and socialise (especially on Fridays, when the space transforms into a bar and event space).
The Coffice – 163 City Road, EC1V
Located in Eagle House – The Brew’s flagship co-working space – The Coffice is part coffee emporium, part collaborative community for freelancers, small business owners, creatives and tech entrepreneurs.
It’s purposely designed to allow co-working without the distractions of a traditional high street coffee shop, enabling meetings with clients in a calm atmosphere and after-hours mingling with high-quality drinks and food.
Ace Hotel – 100 Shoreditch High St, E1
Ace Hotel’s lobby in Shoreditch is designed to be a space where you can work and relax 24 hours a day. The space is divided into room-like zones and equipped with numerous comfortable seating areas, a full bar, a communal work table, and a gallery space featuring rotating exhibitions.
The downside
Whilst free offices in London do exist, they’re not ideal. For starters, spaces fill up fast, and it can be hard to find a permanent place.
Spaces often have a fair usage policy, which means you likely won’t be able to show up there 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month. In short, getting a seat isn’t guaranteed.
And sometimes you need facilities that just aren’t available from free workspaces – whether it’s event spaces, meeting rooms, 24-hour access or just somewhere to eat your lunch.
It’s easier than ever to find great, cheap office space in London, with incredibly flexible contracts. Hot desks and hourly rates are making dedicated city office space a reality for many strapped-for-cash freelancers and startups.
Explore how to find cheap office space in London or start your search:
