# Innovation City or Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone > Compare Innovation City and Sharjah Publishing City Free 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/rak-dao-vs-spc - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Publication: below the publication gate (No decision value beyond the activity name) - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict Innovation City and Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone 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 | Innovation City (Free zone) | Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | AED 5,760 (12 months · calculator output) | | From, one visa | AED 13,200 (12 months · starting price) | AED 14,345 (12 months · calculator output) | | From, two visas | Not published | AED 20,010 (12 months · calculator output) | | Lowest package price | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | AED 5,760 (12 months · calculator output) | | Licence issued in | 5–10 business days | Same day | | Residency visa in | Not published | 5 business days (The authority advertises UAE residency in five working days.) | | Renewal price | Not published | Not published | | Licence types | Digital assets, Related tech | Publishing, Printing, Related media | | Facility options | Office, Virtual options as offered | Office, Publishing facilities | | Visa options | Not published | 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 The additional second visa price is unpublished.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. - Innovation City · Renewal price: No public renewal detail was found. - Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone · Renewal price: Normal renewal pricing was not completed in this pass. - Innovation City · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - 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. - Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone. Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. ## Check before choosing ### Innovation City Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) ### Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/spc) ## 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, Innovation City or Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone? Innovation City and Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone 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 - [Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) - [Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/spc) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [Innovation City or Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/rak-dao-vs-spc.json) ## Citation Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional. Dubai Setup Index. “Innovation City or Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/rak-dao-vs-spc [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/rak-dao-vs-spc). “Innovation City or Sharjah Publishing City Free 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/rak-dao-vs-spc, 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.