Coworking in Sheaf Valley Quarter: day passes from £29/day by the station

At Spaces Acero a hot desk starts at £229/month and a private office at £239/month. If you only need a room of your own now and then, a day office costs from £75/day, while the business lounge is from £29/day. Meeting rooms are from £19/h, and a virtual office from £89/month.

Across Sheffield as a whole, the cheapest day pass is £29/day and the dearest £35/day, so a day by the station sits at the lower end of what the city charges. Private offices in the city run from £239/month to £249/month. The full breakdown by workspace type is on the Sheffield coworking pricing page.

Both centres share the same short street, Concourse Way, and the same postcode, right by Sheffield's station, so choosing between them comes down to what each building offers. Spaces Acero is a short walk from the station and the Interchange, and it covers everything from a single day at a desk to a monthly office. 3 Concourse Way is its neighbour on the street, and its strengths lie in practical extras for people who drive or cycle in and want a tidy, serviced space with room to step away from the desk.

Spaces Acero sits at 1 Concourse Way, S1 2BJ, 200 m from Sheffield Interchange and 300 m from Sheffield Station, which makes it an easy base if you come in by bus, tram or train. It prices hot desks, private offices, day offices, day passes and virtual offices, so you can start with a single day and move to a monthly desk or an office without changing building. There is barista coffee and a café on site, handy when you want lunch without leaving, and the building has wheelchair access. It is open 24/7. More detail is on the Spaces Acero page.

3 Concourse Way, S1 2BJ, is open 24/7 and is built around the everyday practicalities of working away from home. It has meeting rooms for client calls and visits, Wi-Fi, and a cleaning service that keeps the space in order without you thinking about it. Breakout areas give you somewhere to take a break or a quick chat away from your desk. Parking makes it a sensible choice if you drive in from outside the city, and bike storage suits anyone who cycles. See the 3 Concourse Way page for more.

Meeting rooms come at both Spaces Acero and 3 Concourse Way, so whichever you pick you can bring a client in rather than meeting in a café or hotel lobby.

At Spaces Acero, barista coffee and the café on site mean you can grab a proper coffee or lunch between calls without heading out into the station crowds. The shared common areas give you somewhere to work in a more relaxed setting or meet other members.

At 3 Concourse Way, Wi-Fi is part of the space, and the cleaning service means desks and shared areas are looked after for you. Breakout areas are useful when you want to step away from your screen or hold an informal catch-up with a colleague. Parking is the big draw for anyone driving in, since you can come by car without hunting for a space nearby, and bike storage covers those who cycle.

If you only need a desk once in a while, say between trains or for a day in Sheffield on business, a day pass at Spaces Acero is the simplest choice: you pay for the day and nothing more. If you come in most weekdays, the monthly hot desk works out at £8/day on a monthly plan, far below a day pass, so it pays to switch once you are a regular.

A small team that needs a door that closes and somewhere to leave things set up is better off with a private office, which costs only a little more per month than a hot desk. A day office suits you when you need privacy for a single day, such as interviews or focused work. Meeting rooms are booked by the hour, so you pay just for the time with your client. A virtual office gives you a Sheffield business address without renting a desk, which suits a business based elsewhere that wants a presence in the city. See the virtual office options in Sheffield.