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Meydan and IFZA are Dubai's two most popular cost-efficient free zones for founders. Both bank well, both have modern portals, both deliver fast. The deciding factor is usually activity allowance, address type (Meydan = Nad Al Sheba, IFZA = Silicon Oasis), and quota flexibility.
Verdict: Choose Meydan if you want a single all-in published rate (AED 12,500). Choose IFZA if you want multi-activity flexibility (up to 7 activities per licence) and Dubai Silicon Oasis address.
Live channel-partner figures from Formenzo's pricing engine. Authority + Formenzo service scope only — visas, EID and medicals are extra and shown on each zone page.
| Metric | Meydan FZ | IFZA |
|---|---|---|
| Starting priceAuthority licence + bundled flexi-desk; visas + EID extra. | AED 12,500 | AED 12,200 |
| Emirate | Dubai | Dubai |
| Visas (default → max) | 1 → 6 | 3 → 6 |
| Licence in | 7 days | 5 days |
| Visa complete in | 16 days | 14 days |
| Banking scorePre-screened bank fit. Final approval is bank-side. | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Prestige score | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Activities allowed | 2,500 | 1,500 |
| Bank panel | Emirates NBD · WIO · Mashreq NeoBiz | WIO Bank · Mashreq NeoBiz · Emirates NBD |
Pick Meydan FZ when
Pick IFZA when
Almost. Meydan's published all-in is AED 12,500. IFZA's channel-partner rate is AED 12,200 (Professional / 1-year / 0-visa / Flexidesk). The AED 300 difference is rounding — bank fees, visa fees, EID and medicals are extra and similar across both.
Both score 7/10 on Formenzo's banking-readiness rubric. Both onboard well at WIO, Mashreq NeoBiz, Emirates NBD and RAKBANK. If your activity is regulated, pause before payment and let Formenzo pre-screen the exact authority path.
IFZA: up to 7 activities per licence (first 3 included; +AED 1,500 each thereafter). Meydan: typically single-activity — combining activities requires picking a different package and pays a per-activity surcharge. If you run consulting + e-commerce + IT services on one entity, IFZA is the cleaner fit.
Yes — both zones publish a 0-visa starter (Meydan AED 12,500, IFZA AED 12,200). You can add visas later when needed without re-issuing the licence; visas at IFZA are AED 3,750 each, at Meydan AED 4,500–5,000 depending on package.
Use Formenzo's homepage Atlas — filter all 11 verified UAE free zones by activity, visa quota, banking and budget without signing up or providing email. Then narrow to 2–3 candidates and run /start for an exact AED quote.
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