Working from home can suck. Spending days holed away in a bedroom or a living room without anyone to socialize with or a reason to leave the house is enough to make anyone feel like a shut-in. But for entrepreneurial spirits plunging into the world of freelancing or getting their businesses off the ground, camping out at “chez apartment 3C”can seem like the only way to save some money while going all in, even if the prospect of hanging out by oneself all the time is, well, less than ideal.
No doubt about it, paying rent for a home and an office space at the same time is killer by anyone’s standards, especially in this city. But for those who need somewhere to tackle their projects without the lure of Netflixor a sink full of dishes, there’s some good news. Affordable coworking spaces do exist, and they offer amenities such as rooms for client meetings, latte bars, people to make eye contact with if you want to and actually good Wi-Fi—you know, resources that your apartment just can’t hack.
Going solo in pursuit of creative projects or that thing that will disrupt all the things shouldn’t have to mean working completely alone forever. San Francisco has plenty of places where independent workers can be independent together—ones that surprisingly don’t cost an arm, a leg and the rest of a bank account to secure.
The details: Due to its sweet location at Market and Van Ness, Anchor is the coworking space for freelancers who live close to downtown and for those who’re coming in from outside the city proper, as it’s right next to the Civic Center BART entrance. They have your usual office services, with a few additional one-offs like a foosball table, a meditation area and happy hours.
The nitty gritty: They don’t have a member fee, but there is a monthly desk rate of $250 for a dedicated desk that is solely used by you. They also have private offices available starting at $1,300 a month and a rental space for events.
Address: 1540 Market Street
The details: If you need somewhere to work now but don’t have the time to go through the whole rigmarole of renting a place, this “no leases, no commitments” shared coworking place has got you covered. They’re all about drop-ins, but like other spaces, they offer a subscription plan as well if you don’t want to have to sign up every time you go. They’ve got all the usual office amenities like Wi-Fi and self-serve coffees and teas, and all you have to do is register for free to start accessing them.
The nitty gritty: $9/hour, with tiered subscription plans for more access
Address: 270 King Street
The details: Locations inSOMA and South Park make this coworking space the ideal launching pad for small start-ups. Geared specifically toward freelancers and small companies, Sandbox Suites has many different options for independent and team coworking spaces and provides office perks like bagel breakfasts and happy hours.
The nitty gritty: Freelancers can get a day pass for $20, rent a tiny meeting room for $25 or pay $975 a month for teams of two. There are several more options, whatever your entrepreneurial venture needs may be.
Address: 404 Bryant Street (South Park location) and 123 10th Street (SOMA location)
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The details: If you’ve ever thought, “Screw it. I wish I could just work out of a cafe with all the amenities of a shared working space,” Workshop Cafe is the perfect hybrid. Workshop features wide-screen monitors, private phone rooms, printing and, in their own words, “outlets galore.” They have an app from which you can reserve seats so that you can actually work out of a cafe for hours without awkwardly hogging a table for the price of one latte. Like any good cafe/coworking space, they offer food and coffee (from Stumptown), multi-person seating, meeting rooms and more.
The nitty gritty: Tables cost $2.00–$3.00 an hour, $15 for 5 hours and $25 for 10 hours
Address: 180 Montgomery Street, #100
The details: This hip coworking space generally caters to an artsy crowd and is a gorgeous hangout for famous local bloggers and handmade crafters alike. Right in the heart of Hayes Valley, this 1,000-square-foot clubhouse of pretty furnishings, art pieces, two bay windows and a nap loft is truly where you go to get your creativity on. In addition to the space itself, Makeshift Society also hosts workshops and classes where you can learn everything from how to snack healthily to finding your purpose.
The nitty gritty: $30 for day passes, $90 for one day a week per month and $350 for the whole month
Address: 235 Gough Street
The details: This community-driven coworking space is all about supporting socially driven enterprises and, in their words, “those looking to help make a difference in this world.” Discounts are available for teams, students and nonprofits, and the space contains an art gallery to support local emerging artists. In addition to their focus on social-impact businesses and creatives, they have on-site yoga classes and are dog friendly.
The nitty gritty: $5 per hour, $25 a day, $40 per hour for meeting rooms and $375 per month
Address: 950 Grant Avenue, 2nd floor
The details: Breather is another app-based coworking space. You log in to browse locations throughout the city. Once you choose a place you like, you receive a pin code on your phone that gets you through the door. Breather’s rooms resemble pretty apartment spaces with conference tables, but you get them all to yourselves, giving you space to work silently. You can rent each room for as long as you want and extend the hours if you’re not done. It’s basically the Airbnb of coworking spaces.
The nitty gritty: Locations throughout the city are priced anywhere between $25 to $65 an hour, depending on the space
Address: Various
