Free zone vs mainland
The decision that comes before choosing a zone at all. One question settles it, and most online advice is structurally biased on this because of how commission works.
Compare UAE structures & free zones
Compare UAE free zones and structures side by side, with the verdict stated first. We form companies in all of these and are paid the same either way, so there is no commission behind the recommendation.
No commission biasYear-two costs includedVerdict stated first
Comparisons
Compare UAE free zones on the decisions that matter
Each page opens with the honest answer, then shows the working.
DMCC vs DAFZA
Two premium Dubai zones serving genuinely different businesses. If your goods move through an airport the answer is easy; if not, it goes the other way.
IFZA vs Meydan
The two highest-volume budget zones. Nearly identical in the marketing — the difference shows up in year two, which is the comparison neither runs.
How we compare
Why these read differently
Three rules we apply to every comparison on this site.
The verdict comes first
Every page opens with the honest answer rather than burying it under preamble. If you only read one paragraph you should still get what you came for.
Year two, not year one
Zones compete on first-year package price because it is the number that flatters them. We compare renewal at standard rates, the annual audit, tax compliance and visa renewals — where the real difference sits.
No commission behind it
Free zones pay agents commission; mainland formation generally does not. That biases a lot of published advice towards free zones. We are paid the same either way and say so.
Price it yourself
Free tools for the numbers
No sign-up, nothing stored.
Setup cost calculator
Mainland, free zone and offshore priced side by side, with government fees shown separately from professional fees.
Corporate tax calculator
Model the standard rates against a free zone 0% position and see what each actually costs you.
Audit fee estimator
What the annual audit most zones require will cost, driven by transaction volume and record quality.
Questions
Choosing between structures
What people ask before committing to a jurisdiction.
Tell us what your business actually does and we will model the realistic options against your revenue mix — free, and with no commission steering it.
Start with whether you need a free zone at all, or whether your customers require mainland. Once that is settled, choose on your specific activity list, renewal cost at standard rates, visa quota against your two-year plan, and how the zone behaves when something goes wrong. First-year package price is the least useful comparison and the most heavily marketed.
We form companies in all of these zones and are paid the same regardless of which you choose. Where a zone is genuinely better for a particular business we say so, and where the honest answer costs us the faster sale — usually recommending mainland — we say that too.
IFZA, Meydan and RAKEZ compete at the budget end and the cheapest changes as they run promotions. The more useful question is which is cheapest over three years including renewal, audit, tax compliance and visa renewals — and on that basis the gaps narrow considerably.
Yes, at no charge. Tell us what your business does, where your customers are and how many people you need to sponsor, and we will model the realistic options against your actual revenue mix rather than against a package price.
Want this settled in one conversation?
Twenty minutes with a senior consultant is usually enough to decide a structure properly — and it saves months of correcting one that was never right.