Two real candidates for the same shortlist. Below: the entry numbers side by side, then when each one actually wins. Ajman Free Zone starts AED 195 cheaper — but price is only the first line of the decision.
| SPC Free Zone | Ajman Free Zone | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence from | AED 5,750 | AED 5,555 |
| Visa quota | up to 3 | 0 (visa tiers extra) |
| Activities | 2,000+ | 1,500+ |
| Office | not required | not required |
| Setup time | 1–2 | 2–4 |
| Emirate | Sharjah | Ajman |
On paper these two look like the same decision. SPC Free Zone starts at 5,750 AED, Ajman Free Zone at 5,555 AED — a 195 AED gap, roughly a rounding error against your first-year total once visas, establishment card and medical are added. Both waive the office requirement, so neither forces you into a flexi-desk cost. If you are choosing on headline licence price alone, you are choosing on noise.
What actually separates them sits behind that near-identical number. SPC issues its licence in 1–2 days and carries 2,000+ activities; Ajman takes 2–4 days and lists 1,500+. SPC also offers a dual-licence route with the Sharjah mainland, which Ajman's cheapest package does not match. Ajman's counter-argument is heritage: a zone operating since 1988 with a long, boring, unremarkable track record of getting traders licensed — which is exactly what some founders want.
This is the difference most comparisons miss. At the entry tier we list, SPC's package includes 3 visa allocations with no office lease; Ajman Free Zone's entry package here shows 0. If you need residence visas for yourself, a partner or early staff, that is not a footnote — on SPC you are covered inside the base cost, on Ajman you step up to a paid visa package before anyone gets a residence file.
| Factor | SPC Free Zone | Ajman Free Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Emirate | Sharjah | Ajman |
| Licence from | 5,750 AED | 5,555 AED |
| Visa quota (entry) | 3 | 0 |
| Activities | 2,000+ | 1,500+ |
| Office required | No | No |
| Setup time | 1–2 days | 2–4 days |
Neither zone forces a physical office, so if you want visas you rely on the quota that comes with the licence tier and, in practice, on establishment-card mechanics rather than a desk. That makes SPC's built-in three allocations the single most concrete advantage in this matchup.
SPC fits founders who need at least one or two residence visas from day one, want the widest activity list to combine trading and services under one licence, value the fastest issuance, and might use the Sharjah-mainland dual-licence option later. It is the more capable package for a growing team.
Ajman fits the pure zero-visa case: a non-resident holding company, a single foreign founder who will keep residence elsewhere, or a lean trading licence where the establishment card and a visa-free structure are all that is needed. Its long operating history also reassures founders who distrust newer, aggressively marketed zones.
On banking, be honest with yourself: both are budget northern-emirates zones, and UAE banks scrutinise low-substance, no-office setups from either. Neither address carries Dubai-level prestige, so plan your account opening around a clear activity and real trade flow — read our note on opening a business account before you pick.
Pick SPC Free Zone if you need residence visas now (its three-visa quota with no office is the deciding factor), want the broadest activity list, value 1–2 day issuance, or expect to add a mainland dual-licence. You pay 195 AED more and get materially more.
Pick Ajman Free Zone if you genuinely need zero visas — a holding vehicle or a single foreign founder resident elsewhere — want the lowest possible entry number, and prefer a long-established zone over a fast-growing newcomer. Below the visa line, the two are close enough that heritage and a slightly lower price fairly decide it.
Open both full profiles side by side: SPC Free Zone and Ajman Free Zone, then run your real first-year total in the setup-cost calculator with your actual visa count — that is where the two numbers stop looking similar.
SPC Free Zone: The fastest-growing budget zone right now — aggressive pricing, instant licence issuance, dual-licence option with Sharjah mainland and a genuinely broad activity list. The search demand numbers reflect it: SPC out-queries most Dubai zones.
SPC Free Zone full card →Ajman Free Zone: A 1988-vintage budget zone that modernised its e-channels — solid for trading and services when cost beats address prestige.
Ajman Free Zone full card →We reply with numbers — a line-by-line setup estimate for your case. Not a call script, not a brochure.