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• Coworking spaces are uniquely beneficial because they are a happy medium between remote work’s flexibility and office work. 

• Independent workers have many options when it comes to working away from the home. 

• The best free or very inexpensive alternatives to coworking spaces include libraries, parks, museums, universities, internet cafés, and coffee shops.

Coworking spaces are advantageous for independent workers who are looking to get away from home to do their work. Traditionally, coworking spaces have been seen as environments for cultivating creativity, attracting independent workers, start-ups, and freelancers.

Despite the benefits of coworking spaces, independent workers — especially those who are just starting out — sometimes cannot afford to use them.

Remote employees and independent workers interested in working somewhere other than home have many alternatives that won’t break the bank. When considering options, think beyond finding a place to simply sit to do work. The best work conditions include quality Wi-Fi and access to additional free resources, such as water and bathrooms.

Here are some of the best free or cheap alternatives to coworking spaces 

Libraries  

The New York City Public Library on Fifth Avenue is a great example. Not only is it a quiet place with external and internal architecture reminiscent of Greek antiquity, but it is also a place with invaluable free resources, like books and journal articles.   

Not every local library is as grand as the one down the block from Grand Central, but almost all of them are quiet places with free WiFi, computers for use, water, a wealth of research materials, and few distractions.  

The only drawback is that working in teams at a library is generally unfeasible, barring local exceptions of the eternal librarian’s “no talking rule.” And even if the rule is not enforced, you’ll feel really embarrassed taking a Zoom call in a library when everyone around you is giving you the side eye.  

Parks  

In metropolitan cities, parks are increasingly being enriched with WiFi, designated online as “free hotspots.” Parks almost always have bathrooms and water fountains, so the addition of free WiFi makes public parks an ideal candidate as a coworking space alternative.   

A drawback of working from parks is that this alternative works well only on especially beautiful days of weather. In the summer, laptops will overheat, making for needless interruptions, and in the winter, the same can be said of painfully cold faces and fingers – typing with gloves is next to impossible. 

Museums  

Museums often have similar — if not identical — accommodations as libraries, with free WiFi, water, bathrooms, and research databases, but without limits on conversation.  

One advantage that museums have over libraries as an alternative to coworking spaces is that they are more accommodating to working in groups in person. Often a creative hurdle can be overcome by a meeting of minds near a painting.  

Universities   

Independent workers who live in an area with many universities, such as Boston, for instance, can use universities in ways comparable to libraries and parks.  

While most universities will only allow students and faculty to use their libraries or research databases, many campuses are open to the public as quasi-parks, providing WiFi and often access to bathrooms.  

Coffee Shops and Internet Cafés

Coffee shops and internet cafés are the most common alternatives to working from home, but they should require more background research than most give them.  

Cafés have the highest cost among all coworking space alternatives, and they have the most room for incurring drawbacks with loud distractions and competition for power outlets.  

A good one must have free WiFi, seating with easily accessible power, quality coffee, and ready access to bathrooms (because coffee). An exceptional one will have staff who remember your name and, ideally, your order.