ADGM vs Dubai Science Park: Common Law vs Cost
ADGM and Dubai Science Park are both UAE free zones that give you 100% foreign ownership, the right to invoice global clients, and UAE residence-visa sponsorship. What separates them is narrower than most founders assume — and it starts with cost. Dubai Science Park's Year 1 minimum is AED 28,500 against ADGM's AED 36,730 — a gap of AED 8,230 (29%) before you add visas or office space. They also sit in different emirates (ADGM in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Science Park in Dubai), which shapes where your licence, address, and client base live. Banking is where they diverge most: ADGM is rated easy to bank, Dubai Science Park moderate. ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) sits in Abu Dhabi as a Tier 1, premium zone. It runs on English common law rather than the UAE civil-law framework most free zones use. Year 1 starts around AED 36,730, banking is rated easy (~10 days to open an account), and the visa cap is 100. It's built for financial services, fund management, and FinTech companies seeking a common law jurisdiction in Abu Dhabi. Dubai Science Park (Dubai Science Park (includes former DuBiotech & EnPark)) sits in Dubai as a Tier 2, premium zone. Year 1 starts around AED 28,500, banking is rated moderate (~10 days to open an account), and the visa cap is 200. It's built for life sciences, energy, and environmental tech companies seeking a specialized, tax-efficient free zone.
ADGM
Abu Dhabi · Tier 1
Asset managers, funds, banks, fintech and digital-asset firms, family offices, professional-services firms and holding structures that value common-law certainty, institutional credibility and access to Abu Dhabi's sovereign-wealth capital pool.
Dubai Science Park
Dubai · Tier 2
Pharma, biotech, medtech, diagnostics, CRO and environmental/energy companies that need licensed laboratories, R&D space or a regional science-hub address in Dubai; also solo science consultants via the GoFreelance permit.
Visual comparison
Six-dimension scoring
Scores are 0–100 normalized across all UAE & GCC zones. Higher is better on every axis. Cost is scored so cheaper = higher. See methodology.
Choose ADGM if…
- ✓Fast, low-friction banking is a priority — ADGM is rated easy where Dubai Science Park is moderate
- ✓You need an English common-law structure (funds, fintech, holding companies, VC-ready cap tables) — ADGM offers it; Dubai Science Park is civil-law
- ✓You want a Tier 1 free zone address — the kind banks, investors, and enterprise buyers recognise on sight
- ✓Your operations, clients, or team are anchored in Abu Dhabi rather than Dubai
- ✓Renewals stay lean — ADGM renews at AED 18,365 a year vs Dubai Science Park's AED 25,000, a saving that recurs for the life of the company
Choose Dubai Science Park if…
- ✓Year 1 cost matters — Dubai Science Park opens at AED 28,500 vs ADGM's AED 36,730, a AED 8,230 head start that compounds every renewal
- ✓You'll hire and scale headcount — Dubai Science Park allows up to 200 visas vs ADGM's 100
- ✓You're outside financial and legal services — you don't need ADGM's common-law regulatory framework, and Dubai Science Park skips that compliance overhead
- ✓Your operations, clients, or team are anchored in Dubai rather than Abu Dhabi
- ✓You need warehousing or light-industrial space on site — Dubai Science Park offers it; ADGM is office-only
Our Verdict
Default to Dubai Science Park — at AED 28,500 in Year 1 it's the lower-risk starting point for most founders. ADGM earns its AED 8,230 premium when you specifically need easier banking or its common-law jurisdiction; if that edge isn't decisive for your business, the saving is better spent on growth. Use the scored comparison below to pressure-test the call against your own activity, visa count, and banking needs.
Frequently asked questions
Is ADGM or Dubai Science Park cheaper to set up?
Dubai Science Park is cheaper. Its Year 1 minimum is AED 28,500 against ADGM's AED 36,730 — a gap of AED 8,230 before visas or office. Both figures are entry minimums; adding visas and dedicated space narrows or widens the gap depending on package.
Which is better for opening a corporate bank account — ADGM or Dubai Science Park?
ADGM has the smoother path. It's rated easy for corporate banking (~10 days on average), while Dubai Science Park is rated moderate (~10 days). Banking difficulty depends heavily on your activity and source of funds, but the zone's baseline rating is a real signal.
How many visas can I get with ADGM or Dubai Science Park?
ADGM allows up to 100 visas and Dubai Science Park up to 200. Most zones tie the practical number to your office type — a flexi-desk supports only a handful, while a dedicated office unlocks the higher cap.
Do ADGM and Dubai Science Park both qualify for 0% corporate tax?
Yes — both are Qualifying Free Zone Persons (QFZP), so genuinely qualifying income is taxed at 0% under the UAE's 9% corporate-tax regime, provided you keep adequate substance and meet the qualifying-income tests. Non-qualifying income (for example mainland-sourced revenue) is taxed at 9% in either zone, so tax treatment isn't a differentiator between them.
Can I move from ADGM to Dubai Science Park later?
Not as a transfer — UAE free zone licences don't migrate between zones. You'd close the first entity and incorporate fresh in the second, which means dissolution costs, re-onboarding your bank, and moving any visas. It's cleaner to pick the right zone up front, or to run two entities deliberately if you genuinely need both.