Fed up working from home, but not sure you can afford an office space of your own? Believe it or not, there are places you can work in for free in London.
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 has a large selection of free offices to offer. Check them out below:
Charity office space
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 really a viable option for people who really do have some time to spare.
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. Get there 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 wanting to work, relax and socialise (especially on Fridays when the space transforms into a bar and event space).
Interested in checking Hangar58 out? Simply sign up here.
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 meeting with clients in a calm atmosphere and after hours mingling with high-quality drinks and food.
Google Campus Café – Bonhill Street, EC2A
From 9am to 5pm during the week, Google has opened a free dedicated space for freelancers, start-ups and entrepreneurs in London. They’ve opened campus cafés all over the world and the London space is in a great location offering fast, free internet and an interesting crowd. All you need to do is show up and apply for a free membership card. As you’d expect, this place is very popular, so get there early if you want to grab a seat. It’s worth noting however that the constant chatter means it’s not ideal for people looking to get their head down and focus.
Ace Hotel – 100 Shoreditch High St, E1
Ace Hotel’s lobby in Shoreditch is designed to be a place to work and relax 24 hours a day. The space is divided into room-like zones and equipped with tons of comfy seating, a full bar, communal work table and gallery space with 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 start-ups.
Explore how to find cheap office space in London or start your search:
