# Meydan Free Zone or Innovation City > Compare Meydan Free Zone 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/meydan-vs-rak-dao - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Publication: below the publication gate (No decision value beyond the activity name) - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict Meydan Free Zone and Innovation City both show starting figures, but they cover different scopes, so neither is the cheaper route on this evidence. Decide on activity fit, location and an itemised quote for your case. 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 | Meydan Free Zone (Free zone) | Innovation City (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | AED 12,520 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | | From, one visa | AED 19,870 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 13,200 (12 months · starting price) | | From, two visas | AED 25,220 (12 months · calculator output) | Not published | | Lowest package price | AED 12,520 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | | Licence issued in | 24 hours (Regular: typically within 24 hours, conditional) | 5–10 business days | | Residency visa in | 5–7 business days (Visa processing typically takes five to seven working days after company incorporation.) | Not published | | Renewal price | Not published | Not published | | Licence types | Commercial, Professional | Digital assets, Related tech | | Facility options | Flexi desk, Office | Office, Virtual options as offered | | Visa options | Employment visas, priced in the official calculator for zero to two visas, Investor or partner residence for shareholders, confirmed by the setup team with the quotation | Not published | | Remote paperwork | Yes | Yes | | Activity guides catalogued | Not published | Not published | Each figure comes from the same source as its guide page. ### Not published - 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. - Innovation City · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Meydan Free Zone · Renewal price: No published renewal price, term or penalty was found. - Innovation City · Renewal price: No public renewal detail was found. - Innovation City · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Meydan Free Zone · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Meydan Free Zone. 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 ### Meydan Free Zone - Warehouse, land or industrial operations that need physical premises - Companies with several owners that want the Fawri route, which needs one person in every role [Read the Meydan Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/meydan) ### 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, Meydan Free Zone or Innovation City? Meydan Free Zone and Innovation City both show starting figures, but they cover different scopes, so neither is the cheaper route on this evidence. Decide on activity fit, location and an itemised quote for your case. ## Related - [Meydan Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/meydan) - [Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [Meydan Free Zone or Innovation City (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/meydan-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. “Meydan Free Zone or Innovation City.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/meydan-vs-rak-dao [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/meydan-vs-rak-dao). “Meydan Free Zone 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/meydan-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.