# ADGM or Innovation City > Compare ADGM and Innovation City on the same rows: starting packages at each visa count, licence and residency-visa timelines, renewal, facilities and remote paperwork. Every figure is read from the two guide pages. - Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/adgm-vs-rak-dao - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict Innovation City publishes the faster licence, 5–10 business days against 10 business days for ADGM. No like-for-like starting price is published for ADGM, so the cost side of this comparison is open. Read from the same published figures as the table. Activity eligibility, approvals and the full first year still decide the route. ## Side by side Package figures cover their stated inclusions only. Activity eligibility, the full first-year cost and renewal still need confirmation for your case. | Metric | ADGM (Free zone) | Innovation City (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | Not published | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | | From, one visa | Not published | AED 13,200 (12 months · starting price) | | From, two visas | Not published | Not published | | Lowest package price | Not published | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | | Licence issued in | 10 business days | 5–10 business days | | Residency visa in | Not published | Not published | | Renewal price | USD 500 (Renewal quoted alongside Foundation initial fee) | Not published | | Licence types | Non-regulated, FSRA-regulated financial | Digital assets, Related tech | | Facility options | Office, Coworking within ADGM | Office, Virtual options as offered | | Visa options | Not published | Not published | | Remote paperwork | No | Yes | | Activity guides catalogued | Not published | Not published | Each figure comes from the same source as its guide page. ### Not published - ADGM · From, no visa: Checked 2026-10-09: The old fees URL returned 404. Current setup FAQs and the 2025 fee schedule describe registration and licence categories, not complete 0/1/2-visa setup packages. - ADGM · From, one visa: Checked 2026-10-09: The old fees URL returned 404. Current setup FAQs and the 2025 fee schedule describe registration and licence categories, not complete 0/1/2-visa setup packages. - ADGM · From, two visas: Checked 2026-10-09: The old fees URL returned 404. Current setup FAQs and the 2025 fee schedule describe registration and licence categories, not complete 0/1/2-visa setup packages. - Innovation City · From, two visas: Checked 2026-10-09: Start Estimate links to a contact form, not an instant calculator. Idea / Seed / Startup / Growth prices are public; Startup and Growth include only one visa despite a four-visa cap. The additional second visa price is unpublished. - ADGM · Lowest package price: No comparable company package price is confirmed. Other published fees and products are listed separately. - ADGM · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Innovation City · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Innovation City · Renewal price: No public renewal detail was found. - ADGM · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Innovation City · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - ADGM · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market). Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. - Innovation City · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Innovation City (formerly RAK DAO). Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. ## Check before choosing ### ADGM Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the ADGM guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/adgm) ### Innovation City Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) ## Frequently asked questions ### How are the prices compared? Only package prices at the same visa count and term are ranked against each other. A calculator output, a licence-only estimate or a product flagged as not like for like is shown in the table but never used to name a cheaper side. ### Which costs less on published figures, ADGM or Innovation City? Innovation City publishes the faster licence, 5–10 business days against 10 business days for ADGM. No like-for-like starting price is published for ADGM, so the cost side of this comparison is open. ## Related - [ADGM guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/adgm) - [Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [ADGM or Innovation City (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/adgm-vs-rak-dao.json) ## Citation Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional. Dubai Setup Index. “ADGM or Innovation City.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/adgm-vs-rak-dao [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/adgm-vs-rak-dao). “ADGM or Innovation City.” Updated 2026-10-09. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any use or transformation of the data carries: Source: Dubai Setup Index (dubaisetupindex.com), licensed CC BY 4.0. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/adgm-vs-rak-dao, updated 2026-10-09. Licensed CC BY 4.0: any use or transformation carries the attribution text, with its link and date. Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown. A figure sourced from a third party (Invest in Dubai, DET, a free zone authority or a partner's quote) keeps its source citation — the source named in the record, with its URL and checked date — alongside the licence attribution.