Choosing between a coworking space and a virtual office depends on several factors. A coworking space can be a good option if you want to work outside of your home more professionally with fewer distractions. On the other hand, if you prefer to work from home or travel frequently, you can opt for a virtual office.
This choice also depends on budget sometimes because coworking office spaces are more luxurious, so these demand a bit higher budget, while virtual offices for working do not provide as many facilities, so they are at the lower budget side.
Let’s explore more features that will help you choose between a virtual office or a coworking office for work.
A Quick Comparison
| Virtual Working Space | Coworking Office Space |
| It does not provide a physical place. | It provides a physical place to work. |
| It provides a business address. | It also provides a business address. |
| It offers fewer or no networking options. | It has more networking options. |
| A virtual working space has a less productive environment. | Coworking spaces have a more productive working environment. |
| It might include a Virtual receptionist or call forwarding. | It does not include. |
| It has on-demand meeting rooms. | It includes meeting rooms mostly. |
| It does not provide high-tech facilities. | It has high-tech facilities. |
| It does not include any amenities. | It has amenities like Coffee, lounges, a kitchen, and event access |
| Here, productivity depends on your setup. | This is usually more productive. |
| It does not include any event access. | It provides event access as well. |
| A virtual working environment is more secure and private. | A coworking space provides more brand visibility. |
| It is budget-friendly. | It is costly. |
Physical Workspace
The first and foremost distinction between a virtual office and a coworking space is the physical workspace. It does not provide a physical place to work, as they are virtual.
But coworking offices provide a physical working space. This place has amenities and space as per your unique needs. If you have a large working team, you can go for multiple offices or even get conference rooms to hold meetings. If you are alone or have fewer people, you can get a desk to work at.
Business Address
Virtual offices provide business addresses as well. You can select a virtual working office according to the address you want for your business. This address can be used for mailing and other documentary purposes. In coworking spaces, your building is your main address, and then your floor and referring office numbers.
So, both in virtual and coworking spaces for work, you are getting physical addresses.
Meeting Room Access
In a virtual working environment, you do not explicitly get a meeting room. However, you can get a meeting room if you want on a pay-per-hour basis in most cases. This provides flexibility of budget and is easy to choose if you are not sure about the number of meetings to be held.
In coworking office spaces, meeting rooms are mostly included in the package. If they are not included, you can still get them at discounted rates.
Networking Opportunities
When it comes to growth in business, networking is most important. Shared office spaces are preferred mostly due to this one reason of networking. People want to interact with other people as well to expand their ideas and learn from their experiences. There are high chances that you might find someone who is perfect for the marketing needs of the software you are developing.
But this thing is limited or not even present at all in a virtual office. You do not get the chance to see other people in person, and mostly your communications are digital.
Productivity Environment
In terms of a productive environment coworking space for work is again at the top. Along with the networking opportunities, it provides a productive environment to let you focus on your work. Its environment motivates you to work. Seeing a lot of people working day and night makes you more motivated about your goals as well.
A virtual office, on the other hand, does not provide a productive environment. You are on your own here.
Brand Visibility
A coworking office space provides more brand visibility. When people see you working or see your brand name, slogan, banners, posters or other stuff, you ultimately get more visibility to a large number of related people. So we can say a coworking space is basically a place of mutual benefit.
In a virtual place, you do not get brand visibility; however, you can use other marketing strategies to gain visibility for your brand even in a virtual working office.
Security & Privacy
Sometimes we are more concerned about the security and privacy of our products rather than gaining visibility. In this case, coworking office space can still work; you just need to get some secure offices or private conference rooms. Many coworking spaces understand this concern and even provide fingerprint-locked offices according to your comfort.
A virtual office for work is already secure enough to handle such types of data concerns. You can securely have all your work done without worrying.
Technology & Infrastructure
Another plus point of coworking office space is its technological infrastructure. Mostly, coworking spaces have high-speed internet, backup electricity generators, well-lit rooms, high-quality multimedia and a suitable temperature for working. All these things are must-haves for a smooth working experience.
As in a virtual office network, you do not get a physical place, so you do not get these qualities as well. You have to manage your own internet, electricity and other devices.
Access to Events and Perks
Shared office space most of the time keep orgainizing wellness programs or other types of events. Such events provide opportunities to learn and network as well. These events can include workshops and meetups with some great people as well.
Virtual offices lack this facility. If you want to attend such events, you might need to find some on your own, which might be time-consuming.
Cost
The last and most important factor on this list is cost. As we talked a bit about it earlier, that coworking space is a bit costly, and now you have an idea why this is. Coworking space for work offers a lot of benefits and perks, which are essential for a healthy working environment. The working environment is directly related to our performance; if it is good, our performance will be improved for sure.
If we are considering a coworking space, it does not mean virtual offices are bad. They are just a base step, and a shared space is a higher step of the same ladder. One might start their business from a virtual office. After gaining some more budget to invest, then can gradually expand it to a coworking space.
Conclusion
A coworking space has numerous benefits for your business and you can also explore coworking space benefits.
For South Norwalk, CT, SONO50 is an amazing co-working space. It is a Class A building with 14 floors, and the total office space available is 200,000 square feet. It has high-end conference rooms, and a single conference room can accommodate up to 54 people.
Not only this, but it also has an on-site fitness centre as well as a gaming lounge. SONO50 is located at a prime location, which is surrounded by cafes, shops, and beautiful views. Its rooftop area is also amazing and open for people who want rooftop meetings.
