Top 5 Alternatives to Equinix Metal: A Detailed Analysis
By The ServerSearcher Team • Published on December 19, 2025
With Equinix Metal scheduled to be fully discontinued by June 30, 2026, businesses need robust bare metal and cloud alternatives. This guide offers a fact-checked, feature-by-feature comparison of leading options, with a particular focus on APIs, automation, and migration considerations.
Introduction: The Shift Away from Equinix Metal
Equinix Metal, originally launched as Packet and later acquired by Equinix, has been a significant player in the bare metal cloud market. Equinix has announced that Metal will be wound down, with commercial sales halted and the platform scheduled to sunset by mid-2026. The key is to find an alternative that not only matches Equinix Metal's capabilities but also aligns with your specific workload requirements, budget, automation needs, and future growth plans.
We'll explore five leading alternatives: Latitude.sh, Vultr, Cherry Servers, Clouvider, and Hetzner. Our analysis focuses on performance, global presence, API strength, automation features, developer experience, pricing models, and support, based on currently available public information from each provider.
1. Latitude.sh - The Modern Bare Metal Cloud
Latitude.sh delivers bare metal servers across the globe with cloud-like flexibility. Deploy physical servers and manage them with the same tools you use today.
Key Information
API & Automation
Public REST API, CLI, Terraform provider, and client libraries for common languages
Latitude.sh is known for its developer-friendly API, Terraform provider, and CLI, enabling rapid deployment and infrastructure as code practices.
Consider checking their official documentation for detailed API specifications, rate limits, and available client libraries (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript).
Deployment & Hardware
Deployment Time: Typically minutes for standard bare metal and GPU configurations
Processor Options: Includes latest Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC/Ryzen CPUs.
Pricing Snapshot
Global Presence (23 Locations)
- Los Angeles 2, US
- Sydney, AU
- Tokyo 4, JP
- Amsterdam, NL
- Santiago, CL
- Ashburn, US
- Buenos Aires, AR
- Frankfurt, DE
- London, GB
- Singapore, SG
- São Paulo, BR
- London, GB
- And more...
2. Vultr - High-Performance Global Cloud
Vultr is a cloud infrastructure provider offering cloud compute, cloud storage and bare metal.
Key Information
API & Automation
Comprehensive REST API and official Terraform provider covering most products
Vultr provides a comprehensive API allowing control over all aspects of their services, widely used for automated provisioning and management.
Consider checking their official documentation for detailed API specifications, rate limits, and available client libraries (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript).
Deployment & Hardware
Deployment Time: Seconds to minutes for VMs; typically minutes for bare metal
Processor Options: Includes latest Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC/Ryzen CPUs.
Pricing Snapshot
Global Presence (32 Locations)
- Stockholm, SE
- Madrid, ES
- Dallas, US
- Honolulu, US
- Frankfurt, DE
- Tel Aviv, IL
- Melbourne, AU
- Delhi NCR, IN
- Bangalore, IN
- Seoul, KR
- Los Angeles, US
- Osaka, JP
- And more...
3. Cherry Servers - Customizable & Developer-Focused
Key Information
API & Automation
Public API, CLI, Python and Go SDKs, plus Terraform and Ansible integrations
Consider checking their official documentation for detailed API specifications, rate limits, and available client libraries (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript).
Deployment & Hardware
Deployment Time: Usually minutes for dedicated and virtual servers
Processor Options: Includes latest Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC/Ryzen CPUs.
Pricing Snapshot
Global Presence (6 Locations)
- Šiauliai, LT
- Amsterdam, NL
- Chicago, US
- Singapore, SG
- Frankfurt, DE
- Stockholm, SE
4. Clouvider - High-Performance Network & Global Reach
Clouvider is a UK-based cloud infrastructure provider offering dedicated servers, colocation, and cloud hosting services.
Key Information
API & Automation
Automation primarily via standard tools (IPMI and configuration management); confirm API details with provider
Consider checking their official documentation for detailed API specifications, rate limits, and available client libraries (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript).
Deployment & Hardware
Deployment Time: Typically hours for new dedicated servers; faster for reprovisioning
Processor Options: Includes latest Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC/Ryzen CPUs.
Pricing Snapshot
Global Presence (24 Locations)
- London, GB
- Ashburn, US
- Dallas, US
- Dallas, US
- Manchester, GB
- Amsterdam, NL
- Frankfurt, DE
- Frankfurt, DE
- Phoenix, XX
- Frankfurt, DE
- Manchester, GB
- Chicago, US
- And more...
5. Hetzner - Price-Performance Leader
Key Information
API & Automation
Cloud API with official Terraform provider and community tooling; Robot interfaces for dedicated servers
Consider checking their official documentation for detailed API specifications, rate limits, and available client libraries (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript).
Deployment & Hardware
Deployment Time: Seconds to minutes for cloud instances; minutes to hours for dedicated servers
Processor Options: Includes latest Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC/Ryzen CPUs.
Pricing Snapshot
Contact provider for pricing.
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Latitude.sh | Vultr | Cherry Servers | Clouvider | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | API-driven bare metal and GPU cloud platform | Global cloud platform with VMs, bare metal, storage, and managed services | Developer-friendly bare metal and virtual servers with open automation tooling | Network-optimized dedicated servers and colocation with multi-region presence | High value dedicated servers and cloud instances with strong price-performance |
| Deployment Speed | Typically minutes for standard bare metal and GPU configurations | Seconds to minutes for VMs; typically minutes for bare metal | Usually minutes for dedicated and virtual servers | Typically hours for new dedicated servers; faster for reprovisioning | Seconds to minutes for cloud instances; minutes to hours for dedicated servers |
| Global Locations | 23 (23 regions) | 32 (32 regions) | 6 (6 regions) | 24 (24 regions) | N/A (N/A regions) |
| API & Automation | Public REST API, CLI, Terraform provider, and client libraries for common languages | Comprehensive REST API and official Terraform provider covering most products | Public API, CLI, Python and Go SDKs, plus Terraform and Ansible integrations | Automation primarily via standard tools (IPMI and configuration management); confirm API details with provider | Cloud API with official Terraform provider and community tooling; Robot interfaces for dedicated servers |
| Billing Model | Hour-based and monthly pricing options | Hourly and monthly billing depending on product | Hourly and monthly options with transparent pricing | Primarily monthly per dedicated server with bandwidth tiers | Per-hour billing for cloud, monthly for most dedicated servers |
| Founded Year | 2001 | 2014 | 2001 | 2014 | 1997 |
How to Migrate from Equinix Metal
Migrating from Equinix Metal involves careful planning. Consider these steps:
- Assess Your Needs: Document current server specs, workload characteristics, software dependencies, API integration points, and performance benchmarks.
- Shortlist Providers: Based on your assessment and the information above, identify 2-3 providers that best fit your technical and automation requirements.
- Test Performance & APIs: Provision test servers. Deploy a sample application. Test compute performance, storage I/O, network latency, and critically, the usability and completeness of their APIs and automation tools (CLI, Terraform, etc.).
- Evaluate Management Tools: Test the provider's control panel and ensure it integrates with your existing workflows or that API alternatives are sufficient.
- Plan Data Migration: Determine your data migration strategy. Options include rsync, dedicated migration tools, or database replication.
- Update DNS and Configurations: Prepare to update DNS records and any application configurations.
- Execute and Verify: Perform the migration, thoroughly test applications and automation scripts, and monitor performance.
Many providers offer migration assistance. Contact their support for guidance, especially regarding API-driven migrations.
Conclusion: Choosing Your Path Forward
The end of Equinix Metal's service presents an opportunity to re-evaluate your infrastructure. Consider providers who not only offer raw performance but also robust APIs and automation capabilities that align with modern DevOps practices.
- For a cutting-edge, developer-centric experience with strong API and automation, Latitude.sh is a strong contender.
- If extensive global presence and a broad range of API-controllable services are key, Vultr offers compelling options.
- For highly customizable servers and a focus on automation, especially with options like GPU and spot instances accessible via API, Cherry Servers is worth considering.
- If top-tier network performance and a robust global infrastructure, manageable via API, are paramount, Clouvider excels.
- For the best price-performance with good API support, especially in Europe, Hetzner is a popular choice.
Ultimately, the best Equinix Metal alternative depends on your specific requirements. We encourage you to use the information here as a starting point for your own research and testing, paying close attention to API documentation and automation features.
Find Your Ideal Server
Search pre-filtered for servers with at least 16GB RAM. Adjust filters as needed.