Top Equinix Metal Alternatives for Your Infrastructure Needs in 2026

Equinix Metal has long been a leading bare metal platform for organizations that need direct access to physical servers, predictable performance, and automated provisioning across global locations. However, Equinix has announced that the service will be phased out by June 2026. Due to this planned phase-out, many enterprises have been prompted to explore alternative infrastructure solutions well in advance.

As this transition approaches, infrastructure planning now requires a more deliberate approach. Organizations need to look beyond selecting a replacement platform and consider how workloads will move and operate after the change. For this reason, performance consistency must be preserved, security controls need to be maintained, and compliance requirements must remain aligned throughout the process. These concerns directly connect to the phase-out timeline, particularly for regulated industries, where even minor gaps in planning can create operational or regulatory challenges.

The challenge is even bigger for organizations in highly regulated sectors. Healthcare providers, for example, manage ePHI (electronic Protected Health Information), which includes digital medical records, patient identifiers, and clinical data. Any infrastructure that hosts ePHI must meet strict HIPAA requirements and operate under a signed HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA). A BAA defines shared responsibility for protecting sensitive healthcare data and is mandatory for HIPAA-compliant hosting.

In this context, bare metal infrastructure serves as a reliable option. By providing direct access to physical servers, it eliminates virtualization overhead, which ensures predictable performance. Many organizations are looking for Equinix Metal alternatives that offer control, reliability, and compliance readiness well before the planned phase-out.

Why Bare Metal Infrastructure Matters in 2026

Bare metal infrastructure is a primary choice for enterprises in 2026, particularly for those that require consistent performance, strong security, and reliable compliance. Since bare metal servers are dedicated to a single customer, the operating system runs directly on the hardware rather than on a shared hypervisor. This means organizations have complete control over their compute, memory, storage, and networking resources.

In contrast, virtualized environments share resources across multiple tenants. This can lead to unpredictable performance and delays, especially for workloads that demand high speed or precision. By removing these uncertainties, bare metal ensures consistent behavior, low latency, and predictable results for essential applications such as databases, AI training, and real-time systems.

Bare metal offers stronger security and easier compliance. Due to the servers being physically isolated, the attack surface is smaller, and network segmentation and access control are simpler to manage. Additionally, industries such as healthcare, finance, and SaaS often need infrastructure that can be audited and includes documented measures. By applying proper encryption and monitoring, organizations can use bare metal to meet regulatory requirements and keep sensitive data secure.

In addition, bare metal can be integrated with public cloud services in hybrid setups. This helps organizations maintain the performance of dedicated hardware while benefiting from the flexibility and global reach of the cloud. Therefore, companies evaluating Equinix Metal alternatives can maintain high performance and ensure compliance well before the planned phase-out.

How the Equinix Metal Phase-Out Affects Modern Infrastructure

The planned phase-out of Equinix Metal has raised clear challenges for modern infrastructure planning. Equinix Metal combined automated bare metal provisioning with globally connected data centers. Therefore, organizations managed physical servers using cloud-style automation while maintaining direct hardware access. This approach supported workloads that required stable latency and consistent performance, such as databases, AI training, and real-time analytics. Consequently, the announced end of the platform by June 2026 demands that enterprises prepare for change well in advance.

At the same time, modern enterprises often use hybrid infrastructure models that combine dedicated servers and bare metal instances. Dedicated servers handle stable, long-term workloads that require consistent performance. In contrast, bare metal instances support tasks that require rapid provisioning and flexible automation. By combining dedicated servers with bare metal instances, organizations can maintain stability for core workloads while scaling dynamic workloads through cloud integration. This hybrid approach also brings additional security and compliance responsibilities. Because workloads run across both physical and cloud environments, data in transit must be secured using strong encryption standards, such as TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3. Likewise, access controls, network segmentation, and monitoring should follow uniform policies across all systems. Following these practices helps ensure that performance-sensitive applications remain reliable and that regulated industries meet their compliance obligations.

When evaluating alternatives to Equinix Metal, organizations should prioritize platforms that provide automation, low-latency connectivity, secure cloud integration, and resilient security alignment. Providers that offer migration support and clear documentation can help reduce operational risk, ensuring workloads remain reliable and regulatory obligations are met throughout the transition.

Top Equinix Metal Alternatives in 2026

The following platforms meet enterprise requirements for performance, security, and compliance, and can thus be good alternatives to Equinix.

Atlantic.Net Bare Metal Hosting

As a long-established leader in secure and compliant hosting, we deliver bare metal infrastructure built for performance-intensive and regulated workloads. Our platform supports healthcare, finance, SaaS, and enterprise organizations that require strict security controls, predictable performance, and long-term reliability. Moreover, with a strong focus on compliance and hands-on support, we help clients deploy, scale, and protect mission-critical systems with confidence.

Core Capabilities

• We provide fully HIPAA-compliant environments designed to secure ePHI, supported by a signed BAA and comprehensive administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, ensuring that our clients’ sensitive healthcare data is protected at all levels.
• Our high-performance bare metal configurations are optimized for databases, AI workloads, analytics engines, and other compute-intensive applications, delivering consistent throughput and reliability for demanding workloads.
• We maintain network isolation, firewalls, intrusion detection, encrypted backups, and TLS 1.2/1.3 encryption to secure data transmission across all environments, keeping our clients’ systems safe and compliant.
• Our flexible architectures support hybrid cloud strategies, private networking, and multi-site deployments, helping organizations effectively plan and scale infrastructure according to evolving operational needs.
• Our clients have 24/7 direct access to experienced U.S.-based engineers who provide hands-on assistance, troubleshooting, and guidance for complex workloads, ensuring smooth operations and rapid support whenever needed.

AWS Bare Metal

AWS offers bare metal instances through its EC2 portfolio, giving organizations direct access to physical hardware while benefiting from the extensive AWS ecosystem. These instances help teams manage workloads on dedicated servers while still using AWS tools for automation, monitoring, and orchestration. This combination makes AWS a strong choice for enterprises already invested in cloud-native frameworks and global infrastructure. Its bare metal options support high-performance workloads that require low latency, direct hardware control, and integration with other AWS services. Many organizations rely on AWS bare metal for compute-intensive tasks such as HPC, AI training, and large-scale analytics.

Core Capabilities

• AWS bare metal instances eliminate virtualization overhead and thus enable performance-sensitive workloads like HPC, analytics, and specialized databases to run at full capacity without interference.
• AWS provides native connectivity across networking, IAM, storage, and security services, enabling organizations to integrate bare metal servers into existing cloud architectures.
• AWS bare metal instances are suitable for regulated workloads when configured with proper controls, including encryption, monitoring, and the availability of BAAs for healthcare environments, ensuring compliance obligations are met.
• AWS offers extensive regional coverage, giving organizations low-latency access, geographic flexibility, and support for multi-region deployments and distributed applications.

Google Cloud Bare Metal

Google Cloud provides bare metal solutions designed for data-intensive, analytics-driven, and enterprise workloads. These instances give organizations direct access to dedicated physical servers while also using Google Cloud’s ecosystem for networking, storage, orchestration, and security. The infrastructure is supported by Google’s high-performance global network, which makes it a strong choice for organizations that depend on large-scale data processing, machine learning, or latency-sensitive applications. In addition, Google Cloud bare metal works well with other Google services, so organizations can implement hybrid and multi-cloud strategies while maintaining predictable performance and low-latency connectivity across regions. For these reasons, enterprises often rely on Google Cloud bare metal for mission-critical applications where both performance and compliance are essential.

Core Capabilities

• Google Cloud bare metal servers are optimized for demanding workloads, such as large databases, analytics engines, and machine learning pipelines, ensuring consistent throughput and low latency.
• Google Cloud offers strong integration with VPC networking, Kubernetes services, and interconnect options, supporting hybrid and multi-cloud deployments across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Google Cloud provides access to its low-latency global backbone network, enabling organizations to achieve reliable performance for distributed workloads and international deployments.
• Google Cloud bare metal supports regulated workloads when configured correctly, with regions designed to meet compliance and data-residency requirements for industries such as healthcare and finance.

Azure Bare Metal

Microsoft Azure offers dedicated hosts and bare metal-style solutions for enterprises that require strict workload isolation, governance, and integration with Microsoft’s ecosystem. These instances provide direct access to physical servers while using Azure’s cloud services, making them suitable for organizations that rely on Windows Server, Active Directory, and enterprise security tools. In addition, Azure bare metal works well with hybrid cloud strategies, so enterprises can manage workloads across on-premises and cloud environments while maintaining predictable performance and strong security. Many organizations choose Azure bare metal for critical applications where compliance, control, and stability are essential.

Core Capabilities

• Azure dedicated hosts provide predictable performance and strict isolation, making them suitable for workloads that are sensitive or require strong compliance.
• Azure integrates with Active Directory, Azure Security Center, and enterprise governance tools, enabling organizations to consistently manage identity, security, and compliance.
• Azure Arc and ExpressRoute support hybrid and multi-cloud setups, helping enterprises manage resources across on-premises and cloud environments without losing control.
• Azure provides a wide compliance portfolio and supports BAAs, making it a reliable choice for regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, and government.

Rackspace Bare Metal

Rackspace focuses on managed hosting and hybrid cloud operations, offering bare-metal solutions for organizations that require hands-on operational support. Its services emphasize management, monitoring, and optimization, making it a strong choice for enterprises that prefer fully supported infrastructure over self-managed setups. By taking responsibility for operational tasks, Rackspace enables teams to focus on their core business goals rather than day-to-day server maintenance. In addition, Rackspace’s expertise in hybrid and multi-cloud environments enables organizations to integrate bare metal servers with existing cloud resources while maintaining reliable performance, consistent security, and simplified management.

Core Capabilities

• Rackspace offers managed bare metal services, providing support for provisioning, monitoring, patching, and server maintenance, helping reduce internal IT workload.
• Rackspace has deep experience integrating workloads across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, supporting flexible multi-cloud and hybrid strategies.
• The provider delivers security services, including managed firewalls, intrusion detection, monitoring, and compliance-aligned controls, helping organizations maintain a strong security posture.
• Rackspace provides 24/7 technical support, giving organizations guidance and troubleshooting assistance for mission-critical workloads whenever needed.

Kamatera Bare Metal

Kamatera delivers customizable bare metal and cloud servers with rapid provisioning and global availability. Its platform supports organizations that need flexible hardware configurations, fast deployment, and cost-efficient scaling. This makes Kamatera appealing to development teams, startups, and global businesses that depend on speed and responsiveness. By offering direct access to physical servers together with cloud-style management tools, Kamatera helps teams deploy, test, and scale workloads quickly while maintaining predictable performance and operational control. In addition, its global data centers provide low-latency access and geographic redundancy, benefiting both local and distributed applications.

Core Capabilities

• Kamatera provides custom configurations, enabling organizations to adjust CPU, RAM, and storage to match specific workload requirements without unnecessary overhead.
• Servers can be provisioned in minutes, which supports rapid deployment, testing, and scaling for agile teams.
• Multiple global data centers provide low-latency access and geographic redundancy, helping distributed applications operate efficiently.
• Kamatera supports scalable infrastructure, with hardware configurations that can be modified with minimal disruption, supporting evolving workloads and long-term growth.

A Decision Framework for Selecting an Equinix Metal Alternative

After reviewing the capabilities of providers like Atlantic.Net, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Rackspace, and Kamatera, it becomes clear that choosing the right Equinix Metal alternative requires careful consideration of multiple factors. Each provider offers different strengths, including global reach, automation depth, or managed services. Therefore, organizations must evaluate how those strengths align with workload demands, compliance obligations, and long-term infrastructure objectives.

Performance is often the first factor to assess, because compute-intensive workloads quickly expose infrastructure limitations. AI training, analytics pipelines, databases, and real-time systems depend on stable throughput and consistent latency. Although bare metal removes virtualization overhead, differences in hardware quality, provisioning speed, and regional availability still influence outcomes. For this reason, comparing how providers sustain performance under continuous load is more meaningful than reviewing specifications in isolation.

Security and compliance require equal attention. Regulated environments demand more than baseline protections. Providers must support HIPAA-compliant hosting, signed BAAs, strong encryption, defined access controls, and continuous monitoring across physical and hybrid deployments. Without these elements working together, migration introduces unnecessary legal and operational risk. Consequently, compliance readiness should be evaluated alongside performance rather than treated as a secondary concern.

Migration capability further affects the success of the transition. Moving away from Equinix Metal involves rebuilding network architectures, automation workflows, and governance controls. Providers that offer structured onboarding, testing support, and clear documentation help reduce disruption. As a result, organizations can maintain operational stability during the migration period.

Hybrid integration adds another dimension to the decision. Many enterprises rely on bare metal for core workloads while using cloud platforms for elasticity. Providers that offer low-latency connectivity and consistent management across environments help maintain control while supporting growth. Therefore, hybrid readiness directly influences long-term flexibility.

When these factors are considered together, organizations can make defensible infrastructure decisions. Atlantic.Net aligns well with enterprises that prioritize security, compliance, predictable performance, and direct engineering support. At the same time, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Rackspace, and Kamatera align with different operational priorities, such as ecosystem depth, managed services, or rapid deployment. The most suitable alternative emerges where technical capability, regulatory readiness, and operational fit converge.

Table 1: Comparison of top alternatives to Equinix

The Bottom Line

The Equinix Metal phase-out can be a turning point for enterprises that rely on bare metal infrastructure. With 2026 already underway, organizations face immediate pressure to reassess how performance, security, and compliance fit into long-term infrastructure planning. In this context, bare metal remains a reliable foundation because it delivers predictable performance and direct control over physical resources.

At the same time, this transition requires careful evaluation of alternative providers. By examining automation capabilities, regional coverage, compliance readiness, and migration support, enterprises can reduce operational risk. Consequently, platforms such as Atlantic.Net, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Rackspace, and Kamatera help organizations maintain continuity while supporting infrastructure strategies beyond Equinix Metal.