Quarterly report ยท Q3 2026
The UK automation sector, counted
2694 live UK companies are registered in automation, IT consultancy and implementation sectors. 718 of them were formed in 2026. Every figure on this page is a count of Companies House records, not an estimate, and this edition is citable: it is frozen.
This edition is closed. The figures were counted on 7 September 2026, the last register refresh of the quarter, and do not change again.
Formation
Companies formed per year
Counts only companies still active at the count date, so earlier years read low: the ones that closed are not here. Read it as survivors per cohort, not formations per year.
Sector by sector
| Sector | Live companies | Formed in 2026 | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT consultancy | 1189 | 325 | 3 yrs |
| Software development | 1058 | 396 | 2 yrs |
| Other IT services | 916 | 262 | 3 yrs |
| Data processing and hosting | 723 | 216 | 3 yrs |
| Managed IT services | 571 | 119 | 3 yrs |
A company registered under more than one SIC group is counted in each, so sector totals sum to more than the headline.
Geography
Where they are registered
- London 1053
- Birmingham 38
- Manchester 33
- Cardiff 27
- Milton Keynes 26
- Leeds 25
- Glasgow 23
- Slough 22
- Harrow 20
- Bolton 18
- Leicester 18
- Mildenhall 17
Citing this report
Suggested form: Automation Agency Directory by OurIdea.ai, "The UK automation sector, counted", Q3 2026 edition, counted 7 September 2026 from the Companies House public register. https://directory.ouridea.ai/insights/uk-automation-sector-2026-q3/
Counted, not estimated
Every figure is a count of live register records. Nothing is modelled, projected or rounded up. Selection: companies whose registered SIC codes fall in the automation, IT consultancy and implementation groups this directory covers.
Survivor bias is real
Dissolved companies are excluded, so cohort counts show companies that survived, not companies that started. Recent years look strong partly because their failures have not happened yet.
Source data: Companies House, reproduced under the Open Government Licence. Report compiled by OurIdea.ai.