# DIFC or Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone > Compare DIFC and Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone 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/difc-vs-rakez - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone publishes the faster licence, 1–3 business days against 3–5 business days for DIFC. No like-for-like starting price is published for DIFC, 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 | DIFC (Free zone) | Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | Not published | Not published | | From, one visa | Not published | AED 14,000 (12 months · promotion) | | From, two visas | Not published | Not published | | Lowest package price | Not published | AED 6,000 (12 months · starting price) | | Licence issued in | 3–5 business days | 1–3 business days (The current service catalogue gives a 1-3-working-day target for business setup.) | | Residency visa in | Not published | Not published | | Renewal price | Not published | AED 14,000 (The current all-inclusive SME promotion promises the same AED 14,000 annual renewal price.) | | Licence types | Non-regulated commercial, DFSA-regulated financial | Commercial, Professional, Industrial, Freelance | | Facility options | Office, Coworking within DIFC | Flexi desk, Office, Warehouse, Industrial | | 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 - DIFC · From, no visa: Checked 2026-10-09: A public handbook/fee schedule exists, but direct retrieval was rate-limited. No instant company-and-visa calculator was located; licence category, premises and immigration costs require a scoped quote. - Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone · From, no visa: A no-visa product is published, but it does not confirm included visas or is not a like-for-like package. It is listed under other published prices. - DIFC · From, one visa: Checked 2026-10-09: A public handbook/fee schedule exists, but direct retrieval was rate-limited. No instant company-and-visa calculator was located; licence category, premises and immigration costs require a scoped quote. - DIFC · From, two visas: Checked 2026-10-09: A public handbook/fee schedule exists, but direct retrieval was rate-limited. No instant company-and-visa calculator was located; licence category, premises and immigration costs require a scoped quote. - Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone · From, two visas: A 2-visa product is published, but it does not confirm included visas or is not a like-for-like package. It is listed under other published prices. - DIFC · Lowest package price: No comparable company package price is confirmed. Other published fees and products are listed separately. - DIFC · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - DIFC · Renewal price: No published renewal price, term or penalty was found. - DIFC · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - DIFC · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre). Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. - Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ). Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. ## Check before choosing ### DIFC Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the DIFC guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/difc) ### Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rakez) ## 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, DIFC or Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone? Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone publishes the faster licence, 1–3 business days against 3–5 business days for DIFC. No like-for-like starting price is published for DIFC, so the cost side of this comparison is open. ## Related - [DIFC guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/difc) - [Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rakez) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [DIFC or Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/difc-vs-rakez.json) ## Citation Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional. Dubai Setup Index. “DIFC or Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/difc-vs-rakez [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/difc-vs-rakez). “DIFC or Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone.” 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/difc-vs-rakez, 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.