Coworking is the trend of individuals and companies choosing to work in a new type of office space. There are dedicated desks, private offices, and hot desks, with a range of seating spaces and basic amenities, such as high-speed internet, coffee, printing, and mail service. Although most coworking spaces follow the same principle, there are some variations in the types of spaces available. One of the biggest distinguishing factors is whether you opt for a coworking chain, a coworking company with just one location, or a niche space that appeals to a particular type of member.

Chain: WeWork

WeWork is easily one of the biggest and most famous coworking chains around the world. It has 438 office locations spread throughout 86 cities. While most locations are in the United States, there are also locations elsewhere in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. WeWork is pet-friendly and has membership options that include hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, and custom build outs for larger companies. The basic amenities include internet, printers, bike storage, water, fresh fruit, private phone booths, and more.

Chain: Regus

Regus is another major coworking space, and it has solutions spread throughout 110 countries. In the United States alone, there are 1,033 Regus offices. In addition to coworking spaces, it also has office spaces, virtual offices, meeting rooms, and other services. Like WeWork, Regus offers hot desks, permanent desks, and other options. It features secure high-speed internet, a kitchen area, meeting rooms, and the ability to move to any Regus center.

Niche: The Food Loft

The Food Loft is a coworking space in Boston that focuses on offering their services to individuals and businesses in the food industry. It has coworking spaces as well as early-stage investment, office rentals, partnerships, strategic resources, and plenty of support. You can choose a hot desk or private office and make use of a conference room.

Niche: Play, Work or Dash

Play, Work or Dash is another of the niche coworking spaces, this one focused on those who need childcare while working. This Virginia coworking company offers five levels of individual membership, plus a just coworking membership and a small business membership. The space has a conference room, on-site childcare, private event rentals, the ability to rent an office in 30-minute increments, dedicated desks, private offices, and the choice to join whether you need the childcare services.

Choosing Between Coworking Chains and Niche Spaces

Despite the similarities between a coworking chain and niche coworking spaces, each has its own pros and cons.

Choosing a coworking chain typically gives you the flexibility to work at any of its locations, allowing for work while traveling, and chains tend to have more amenities and resources available due to their size. You also know exactly what you will get, and the company should be better equipped to handle any complaints that arise.

With niche spaces, however, you get more of a personalized atmosphere, the ability to network with people in your industry, and extra services, such as childcare, a gym, or a pet-friendly environment. Those who travel a lot for work will likely want to pick a coworking chain. Otherwise, you need to think about what you want to get out of your coworking space and then decide what type of company is best for you.