Two real candidates for the same shortlist. Below: the entry numbers side by side, then when each one actually wins. RAKEZ starts AED 6,000 cheaper — but price is only the first line of the decision.
| Meydan Free Zone | RAKEZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence from | AED 12,500 | AED 6,500 |
| Visa quota | up to 3 | up to 6 |
| Activities | 1,500+ | 2,000+ |
| Office | not required | not required |
| Setup time | 2–4 | 3–7 |
| Emirate | Dubai | Ras Al Khaimah |
RAKEZ opens at AED 6,500; Meydan Free Zone starts at AED 12,500 — close to double. On paper you are paying roughly AED 6,000 more for Meydan, but the two figures are not buying the same product. Meydan's premium is a Dubai address in Nad Al Sheba, a fully remote incorporation, and the most-searched free-zone brand in the country — a name banks and clients recognise on sight. RAKEZ's lower fee reflects a Ras Al Khaimah base and a volume model: more activities, more visas, and real industrial land behind it.
Neither number is the final bill. Meydan prices NOC letters and activity changes separately, and RAKEZ layers registration and establishment cards on top of the licence — so read both against our setup-cost calculator before you commit to either.
Meydan fits the founder who wants a Dubai identity without an office: e-commerce sellers, consultants, agencies and service or holding companies that live online but want "Dubai" on the invoice and a smoother banking conversation. It does not fit anyone who needs to store, assemble or manufacture goods — there is no industrial land here.
RAKEZ fits the opposite half of the market: cost-sensitive founders, larger visa teams, and any business touching physical operations — warehousing, light manufacturing, trading with stock. Having absorbed RAK FTZ, it runs the full range from a flexi-desk consultancy to a factory. It does not fit the founder whose whole pitch depends on a Dubai postcode, or who values brand recognition over the lowest price.
Four differences settle most of these cases. On activities, RAKEZ lists 2,000+ against Meydan's 1,500+, and its industrial licences cover work Meydan structurally cannot. On visa quota, RAKEZ allows up to 6 visas on entry tiers versus 3 at Meydan — decisive the moment you plan to hire. On substance, neither mandates an office, but RAKEZ's real parks let you add warehouse or staff space later without switching zone. On banking and prestige, a Dubai address from Meydan tends to open bank conversations a shade faster; RAK-based companies are perfectly bankable but occasionally field one extra question.
| Meydan Free Zone | RAKEZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Emirate | Dubai | Ras Al Khaimah |
| Licence from | AED 12,500 | AED 6,500 |
| Visa quota | 3 | up to 6 |
| Activities | 1,500+ | 2,000+ |
| Office required | No | No |
| Setup | 2–4 days | 3–7 days |
Full details on each option: the Meydan Free Zone card and the RAKEZ card.
Meydan Free Zone: Fully remote incorporation with a Dubai address at a mid-range price — the reason Meydan became the most-searched free zone in the UAE. Strong for e-commerce and services; watch the add-on fees (NOC letters, activity changes) which are priced separately.
Meydan Free Zone full card →RAKEZ: The best visa-quota-per-dirham in the country (up to 6 on entry tiers) plus real industrial parks — RAKEZ absorbed RAK FTZ and now runs everything from flexi-desk consultancies to factories.
RAKEZ full card →We reply with numbers — a line-by-line setup estimate for your case. Not a call script, not a brochure.