Urban Centres Drive the Bulk of Supply
Flexible workspaces have moved well past the experimental stage in the UK and Ireland: Q1 2026 data from CoworkingCafe puts the total at 4,550 locations across both markets, a number that underscores just how embedded coworking has become for freelancers, growing teams and large enterprises alike.
This report maps out where those spaces are, what they cost and which operators are behind the supply.
The UK accounts for 4,270 of those locations, with Ireland contributing another 280. As expected, the largest cities absorb the lion’s share of inventory.
Greater London leads the market with 1,209 coworking spaces, accounting for a hefty slice of the national total. Manchester is the strongest regional market at 123 locations, and Glasgow rounds out the top three with 72. Birmingham (68) isn’t far behind, while Bristol and Leeds are neck and neck, each home to 64 flex workspaces. Edinburgh commands a strong presence at 62, placing Scotland’s capital just a notch below its English counterparts.
Belfast anchors Northern Ireland’s coworking scene with 45 spaces, while Cardiff leads Wales at 43.
Over in Ireland, Dublin is in a league of its own. Its 128 locations make up nearly half of the country’s entire coworking footprint, fuelled by a dense mix of tech multinationals, fast-scaling startups and a deep pool of remote workers.
Coworking Subscription Prices
Big-City Premiums, Regional Bargains and Everything in Between
Pricing across the UK and Ireland runs the full gamut, with central locations in major cities commanding significantly more than their regional counterparts. Here’s how the numbers break down by workspace type:
Day Passes
The UK-wide median day pass sits at £25 in Q1 2026. The steepest rates show up in Edinburgh (£33), greater London and Oxford (both £30) and Belfast (£30), while Dublin eclipses them all at €39.
For those watching the budget, Aberdeen is the cheapest major market at £18, with Warrington (£23) and Nottingham (£24) also offering solid value.
Monthly Memberships
A monthly coworking membership in the UK carries a median price tag of £180, keeping flex space accessible for a wide range of professionals.
Oxford tops the charts at £244, comfortably the most expensive city for a regular desk. Greater London follows at £210, with Cardiff (£197) also sitting above the national median and punching above what its size might suggest.
Across most other major cities, including Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh, Belfast and Brighton and Hove, median memberships cluster tightly in the £192–£195 band. At the value end, Liverpool and Aberdeen share the lowest rates among top hubs at £139.
Virtual Office Services
Businesses after a professional address without a physical desk will find the UK median at £115 per month.
Liverpool charges the most at £175, with greater London (£150) and Birmingham (£139) not far behind, proof that a prestigious postcode carries real weight in these markets.
Cardiff and Bristol sit at the opposite end, both at just £35, making them the most affordable options for startups and remote teams looking to establish a registered presence on a lean budget.
Meeting Room Rentals
Hourly meeting room rates vary sharply, with the UK median at £30 per hour. Greater London is the priciest market at £52, with Edinburgh (£40) and Birmingham and Brighton and Hove (both £35) rounding out the top tier.
Nottingham bucks the trend at just £16 per hour, the lowest rate among the major cities by a wide margin.
In Ireland, the national median day pass comes in at €25, with Dublin pulling well ahead at €39. Monthly memberships sit at €205 both nationally and in the capital. Virtual office subscriptions run €79 across the country, jumping to €149 in Dublin, and meeting rooms cost €40 per hour nationwide versus €56 in the capital.
Top Operators Across UK & Ireland
Large Networks Dominate Core Urban Markets
Regus is the largest coworking operator in the UK with 234 locations nationwide, including 79 across the top 15 cities covered in this report. Its footprint spans England (203), Scotland (18), Wales (5) and Northern Ireland (8), making it the most geographically distributed flex workspace provider in the country. Where most competitors concentrate in one or two regions, Regus prioritises broad national coverage.
HQ takes second place nationwide with 71 locations, spread across England (57), Scotland (8), Wales (5) and Northern Ireland (1). That makes it one of only a handful of operators with a presence in all four UK nations.
Bruntwood follows with 67 locations, almost entirely in England (66). Its heartland is Manchester and the wider North West, though its network extends into Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Cambridge.
BizSpace operates 65 locations across England, maintaining a portfolio geared toward affordable, no-frills workspace for small businesses and sole traders.
Fora rounds out the top five with 64 locations, all in England. Its portfolio is heavily concentrated in London, reflecting a strategy built around dense coverage in the capital’s most established commercial districts.
Spaces runs 62 locations nationwide, combining a strong London base with selective footholds in Scotland (7), Wales (2) and Northern Ireland (1). Workspace Group operates 50 locations, all in England, with a focus on London and surrounding commuter corridors that cater to small and mid-sized businesses. The Boutique Workplace Company manages 41 locations (40 in England, 1 in Scotland), maintaining a predominantly London-focused portfolio. Flexspace (39 locations) and Landmark (37 locations) complete the top ten.
In Ireland, Pembr holds the top spot with 20 locations, all of them in Dublin. Its strategy centres on building dense coverage across both central and suburban parts of the capital.
Regus sits second with 18 locations, including sites in Dublin and across regional cities, making it the only major operator with a presence outside the capital.
Iconic Offices takes third place with 14 locations, also exclusively in Dublin. The operator occupies the premium end of the market, catering to established firms and scaling businesses that prioritise design-forward, high-specification workspace.
Further down the table, DigiClare (11 locations), HQ (9) and a cluster of smaller operators including Entàra, Glandore, Enterprising Monaghan, Prosperity Chambers, Spaces, Studio and Workhub (5–6 locations each) fill out the Irish market.
Methodology
To compile this report, we used proprietary data from CoworkingCafe to determine the number of coworking spaces per market and identify the leading operators.
The study relied solely on CoworkingCafe pricing data and inventory data as of April 2026.
Data was analysed at the city level, with the exception of London (the City of London plus 32 boroughs), based on built-up area (BUA) definitions provided by the Office for National Statistics.
Sources:
– Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0 (contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2022)
– Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0
In terms of pricing, the analysis focuses on national median starting prices per person per month for memberships and virtual office subscriptions, daily prices for day passes and hourly rates for meeting rooms. Cities with three or fewer coworking spaces were excluded from the analysis.
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