The short answer
The ten largest software and IT companies headquartered in United Kingdom, ranked by reported number of employees, are Computacenter, Sage, Arm, IFS, Google DeepMind, Wise, Sapiens, Ciklum, Infobip and Kainos. Computacenter is the largest, with about 20,000 employees (2026).
The ten companies at a glance
| # | Company | Headquarters | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computacenter | Hatfield | 1981 | 20,000 (2026) |
| 2 | Sage | Newcastle upon Tyne | 1981 | 11,074 (2025) |
| 3 | Arm | Cambridge | 1990 | 9,584 (2026) |
| 4 | IFS | London | 1983 | 7,000+ (2024) |
| 5 | Google DeepMind | London | 2010 | about 6,000 (2025) |
| 6 | Wise | London | 2011 | 5,499 (2024) |
| 7 | Sapiens | London | 1982 | 5,000 |
| 8 | Ciklum | London | 2002 | 4,500 |
| 9 | Infobip | London | 2006 | 3,500+ (2025) |
| 10 | Kainos | Belfast | 1986 | about 3,000 (2025) |
Ranked by the most recent employee count stated on each company’s Wikipedia article or official website, checked 24 October 2026. Years in brackets show when that figure applies; companies without a stated figure are listed last.
The companies in detail
1Computacenter
HatfieldSupplies IT infrastructure, managed services and technology sourcing to government and commercial clients in Europe and North America.
- Headquarters
- Hatfield
- Founded
- 1981
- Employees
- 20,000 (2026)
- Ownership
- Public company (LSE: CCC, FTSE 100)
2Sage
Newcastle upon TyneMakes accounting, payroll, HR and business management software for small and mid-sized businesses, with offices in 23 countries.
- Headquarters
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Founded
- 1981
- Employees
- 11,074 (2025)
- Ownership
- Public company (LSE: SGE, FTSE 100)
3Arm
CambridgeDesigns and licenses the processor architectures and CPU cores used in most of the world’s smartphones; it does not manufacture chips itself.
- Headquarters
- Cambridge
- Founded
- 1990
- Employees
- 9,584 (2026)
- Ownership
- Public company (Nasdaq: ARM), majority-owned by SoftBank
4IFS
LondonBuilds cloud enterprise software, including ERP, asset management and field service management, for asset- and service-intensive industries. It was founded in Linköping, Sweden.
- Headquarters
- London
- Founded
- 1983
- Employees
- 7,000+ (2024)
- Ownership
- Private (EQT, Hg and TA Associates)
5Google DeepMind
LondonAn artificial intelligence research lab known for AlphaGo, AlphaFold and the Gemini models.
- Headquarters
- London
- Founded
- 2010
- Employees
- about 6,000 (2025)
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Alphabet
6Wise
LondonA fintech for cross-border money transfers, multi-currency accounts and business payments, co-founded by two Estonians.
- Headquarters
- London
- Founded
- 2011
- Employees
- 5,499 (2024)
- Ownership
- Public company (LSE: WISE)
7Sapiens
LondonBuilds core software for life, pension, property and casualty insurers worldwide; it has deep roots in Israel.
- Headquarters
- London
- Founded
- 1982
- Employees
- 5,000
- Ownership
- Private (owned by Advent International)
8Ciklum
LondonBuilds custom software and provides IT consulting, with large delivery teams in Ukraine and other countries.
- Headquarters
- London
- Founded
- 2002
- Employees
- 4,500
- Ownership
- Private
9Infobip
LondonA cloud communications platform for messaging, voice and email used by businesses in more than 200 countries; it was founded in Croatia.
- Headquarters
- London
- Founded
- 2006
- Employees
- 3,500+ (2025)
- Ownership
- Private
10Kainos
BelfastBuilds digital services for businesses and public bodies and is one of the largest Workday partners worldwide.
- Headquarters
- Belfast
- Founded
- 1986
- Employees
- about 3,000 (2025)
- Ownership
- Public company (LSE: KNOS, FTSE 250)
Also worth knowing
These companies did not make the ranking, for the reason given, but are often mentioned alongside it.
- Softcat: Marlow-based IT infrastructure and software reseller (2,639 employees in 2025), just outside the top ten by headcount.
- Darktrace: Cambridge-based AI cybersecurity company (2,269 employees in 2023), owned by Thoma Bravo since 2024.
- Endava: London-based software development and IT consulting company listed on the NYSE; no employee figure is stated in our source.
- Deliveroo: London-based food delivery platform, owned by DoorDash since 2025; most of its workforce are self-employed couriers.
What this list tells us about United Kingdom’s software industry
- London is the main hub. 6 of the ten companies on this list are headquartered there, with others in Hatfield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cambridge.
- A long track record. The oldest company here, Computacenter, was founded in 1981; the youngest, Wise, in 2011.
- Founding wave. More companies on this list were founded in the 1980s (5) than in any other decade.
- Ownership mix. 5 of the ten are publicly listed and 3 are subsidiaries of, or majority-owned by, other groups; the rest are independent private companies, cooperatives or state-linked organisations.
United Kingdom at a glance
- Capital
- London
- Official languages
- English
- Currency
- Pound sterling (GBP)
- Population
- 69.3 million (2024 est.)
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $61,056 (2026 est.)
Economy. An advanced services economy with London as a global financial centre.
Country figures from Wikipedia’s article on United Kingdom, checked 24 October 2026. Estimates are rounded and dated as stated there.
Working with software companies in United Kingdom
- Time zone. United Kingdom uses UTC+00:00 in winter and UTC+01:00 in summer (daylight saving time). Agree overlap hours in writing before a project starts.
- Data protection. The UK applies its own version of the GDPR (the UK GDPR) together with the Data Protection Act 2018.
- Due diligence. Large companies on this list mostly sell their own products or enterprise services. If you need a development partner for a specific project, ask for case studies, interview the engineers and start with a short paid trial. Our guide on how to choose an IT staff augmentation company includes a free vendor scorecard.
- Budget. Typical 2026 hourly rates by region are in our IT staff augmentation cost and rates guide.
- Extra capacity. If you want developers to join your own team rather than outsource a whole project, our IT Staff Augmentation Company provide dedicated engineers who work in your time zone, tools and processes.
How we built this list
- Candidates. We started from Wikipedia’s list of companies of United Kingdom, the country’s best-known technology firms and companies regularly named in the local and international business press.
- Scope. We kept companies whose main business is software, IT services or a software-based platform, and that are headquartered in United Kingdom. Telecom operators, banks and hardware makers were left out, as were local offices of foreign groups. Companies founded in United Kingdom but now headquartered abroad are listed separately when relevant.
- Verification. For every company we checked headquarters, founding year, ownership, size and whether it is still active against its Wikipedia article or, where none exists, its own official website, on 24 October 2026. Each entry links to the page we checked.
- Ranking. Companies are ranked by their most recently stated number of employees, the most comparable size measure available for public and private firms alike.
- No payments. No company paid or was asked to appear. iCreativez Technologies is itself a software and IT services company, so we do not include or rank ourselves on country lists.
Employee figures come from different years, are sometimes self-reported on company websites and sometimes count a whole group rather than one company, so treat the ranking as a guide to scale rather than an exact league table.
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Software companies in nearby countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest software company in United Kingdom?
By reported number of employees, Computacenter is the largest software and IT company headquartered in United Kingdom, with about 20,000 employees (2026). It supplies IT infrastructure, managed services and technology sourcing to government and commercial clients in Europe and North America.
Which city is the main software hub in United Kingdom?
Among the companies on this list, London is home to the most: 6 of the ten are headquartered there.
What is the oldest software company in United Kingdom on this list?
Computacenter, founded in 1981 and headquartered in Hatfield.
How did you choose the software companies in United Kingdom?
We considered the best-known companies headquartered in United Kingdom whose main business is software or IT services. We verified each one against its Wikipedia article or official website and ranked them by reported number of employees. No company paid to be included.
What is the economy of United Kingdom based on?
An advanced services economy with London as a global financial centre.
What languages and currency are used for business in United Kingdom?
The official language is English, and the currency is the Pound sterling (GBP).
Can I hire software developers to work with a team in United Kingdom?
Yes. Many businesses combine local partners with remote developers. iCreativez Technologies provides dedicated developers and offshore teams that can work your hours; see our dedicated developers page or contact us.
Sources
All company details were checked on 24 October 2026 against these pages:
- Wikipedia: List of companies of the United Kingdom
- Computacenter: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computacenter
- Sage: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sage_Group
- Arm: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_Holdings
- IFS: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFS_AB
- Google DeepMind: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_DeepMind
- Wise: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wise_(company)
- Sapiens: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapiens_International_Corporation
- Ciklum: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciklum
- Infobip: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infobip
- Kainos: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kainos
- Wikipedia: United Kingdom (country profile)
If you represent a company on this page and a detail has changed, contact us and we will review it. Related guides: top IT staff augmentation companies 2026 · staff augmentation vs outsourcing vs managed services.