Coworking in Cathedral Quarter, Sheffield: desks from £229/month

Spaces Acero is the cheaper of the two Spaces centres on most workspace types, while Spaces Pennine Five wins on the business lounge. A day pass costs £29/day at Spaces Acero against £35/day at Spaces Pennine Five, so Acero is the cheaper choice for a single day at a shared desk.

The business lounge flips that order: £25/day at Spaces Pennine Five against £29/day at Spaces Acero. A day office, which is a private room booked for a single day, runs from £75/day at Acero and £85/day at Pennine Five, with Acero again the cheaper.

For a private office by the month, Spaces Acero starts at £239/month and Spaces Pennine Five at £249/month, so Acero is cheaper there too, and its monthly hot desk also undercuts Pennine Five's.

Two prices are the same at both: meeting rooms from £19/h and a virtual office from £89/month. For the wider picture across the city, see Sheffield coworking prices.

Spaces Acero suits anyone coming in by train. It sits near Cathedral Quarter at 1 Concourse Way, 570 m from the middle of the quarter, with Sheffield Interchange 200 m away and Sheffield Station 300 m away, so the bus and rail links are right on the doorstep. A hot desk starts at £229/month. There is barista coffee and a café on site, so lunch needs no trip out, and the building has wheelchair access. It is open 24/7.

Spaces Pennine Five is the closer of the two Spaces centres to the heart of the quarter. It is near Cathedral Quarter in Kelham Island, at Block 2, 1 Tenter Street, 240 m from the middle. West Street Tram Stop is 200 m away, a 3 min walk, and West Street/City Hall is 250 m away. A hot desk starts at £239/month, and members share common areas for breaks and informal chats. Like Acero, it is open 24/7.

32 Eyre Street packs in a long list of facilities, which makes up for being farther out. It is near Cathedral Quarter at 32 Eyre Street, S1 4QZ, 1.1 km from the middle. A gym and showers mean you can train before work or cycle in and change, with bike storage for the ride. Phone booths give you somewhere quiet for calls, and a lounge suits a looser working day. It also has a café on site, mail handling and telephone answering, and it is open 24/7.

Nursery Street is a practical pick if you drive or rely on technical help. It is near Cathedral Quarter on Nursery Street, S3 8GG, 560 m from the middle. IT support means someone can sort a network or printer problem for you, and parking takes the stress out of arriving by car. Showers help cyclists and runners, and a staffed reception greets visitors and takes deliveries. Printing, event space and telephone answering round out what it offers, and it is open 24/7.

Angel Street is one of the nearest centres to the middle of the quarter and leans towards a sociable working day. It is near Cathedral Quarter on Angel Street, S38LU, 300 m from the middle. A café on site and a shared kitchen cover both bought and home-made lunches. Event space lets you host a workshop or launch without hiring a venue elsewhere, and breakout areas give you somewhere to step away from the desk. It also has a staffed reception and allows pets.

Penistone Road suits a business that needs parking and someone to field its calls. It is near Cathedral Quarter on Penistone Road, S6 3AE, 880 m from the middle, on the main road heading north out of the centre. Parking on site helps if you arrive by car or have clients driving in. Event space lets you run training sessions or presentations, and telephone answering means calls are picked up in your company's name while you are busy. It has a staffed reception and is open 24/7.

Courtwood is the only centre here that sits in Cathedral Quarter itself. You will find it at Courtwood House, S1 2DD, 140 m from the middle. Mail handling means post addressed to your business is received for you, and parking and bike storage cover both drivers and cyclists. A kitchen lets you make your own lunch and coffee, and the building has wheelchair access. It also offers a staffed reception, telephone answering and printing, and it is open 24/7.

3 Concourse Way sits on the same street as Spaces Acero, a short way from the middle of the quarter. It is near Cathedral Quarter at 3 Concourse Way, S1 2BJ, 600 m from the middle. Parking helps if you drive in, and bike storage gives cyclists a safe place to leave a bike for the day. Breakout areas offer room for a break or an informal chat away from your desk. It also has Wi-Fi and a cleaning service, and it is open 24/7.

Meeting rooms are the one thing every centre here has: 10 of 10 centres offer them, so you can book a room for a client or team catch-up wherever you work.

• Wi-Fi, at 8 of 10 centres, lets you get online as soon as you sit down.
• A cleaning service, at eight, keeps desks and kitchens tidy without you lifting a cloth.
• A staffed reception, at six, greets your visitors and signs for parcels.
• Telephone answering, at six, means your calls are taken when you are out or in a meeting.
• Printing and scanning, at five, covers contracts and paperwork on the spot.
• Event space, at five, lets you host a talk or workshop in the building.
• Breakout areas, at five, give you somewhere to take a break or have a quick chat away from your desk.

At the two Spaces centres, how often you come in decides the type. If you only need a desk now and then, a day pass or the business lounge is enough: Acero is cheaper for the day pass and Pennine Five for the lounge, so pick by which one you would actually use. If you work from the same place most weeks, a monthly hot desk gives you a regular spot, and Acero's is the lower of the two.

A small team that wants its own door and quiet for calls will be better in a private office by the month, again cheaper at Acero. A company that wants a Sheffield business address without renting a desk can take a virtual office, priced the same at both. For pitching to clients or holding interviews, book a meeting room by the hour, also the same price at either centre.