The industry perpetuates a myth about bare metal versus dedicated servers because most articles speak in misleading absolutes. What you’re actually choosing isn’t hardware specs or billing models: it’s between managed convenience and unmanaged control. This single misunderstood distinction determines whether your server investment becomes a security asset or an expensive technical burden.
There is a wealth of information online describing the differences between bare metal servers and dedicated servers.
Describing the difference can be challenging because the term ‘bare metal’ can have a different meaning depending on the user.
Many online articles that cover the differences are either filled with unnecessary information and lack in-depth details or present information in absolutes that may not be universally applicable.
In this article, we aim to eliminate any confusion between bare metal and dedicated servers.
If bare metal hosting is new to you, we recommend reading this article to learn more about bare metal servers.
Overview
While ‘bare metal servers’ and ‘dedicated servers’ are often used interchangeably, their meanings can vary slightly depending on the context. In essence, both terms, generally, denote physical servers dedicated to a single customer, rather than being shared among multiple users.
In contrast to other types of hosting, such as Shared Hosting or VPS Hosting, where users share the physical server, bare metal and dedicated servers are exclusively dedicated to a single user.
Yes, a bare metal server falls under the category of dedicated servers. The term ‘dedicated server’ generally encompasses a physical server exclusively allocated to a single customer or user, as opposed to being shared among multiple users. With a dedicated server, the customer enjoys complete control and access to the server’s resources.
In most technical discussions, “bare metal” is used to emphasize the absence of a hypervisor or shared virtualization layer, while “dedicated server” describes exclusive hardware access regardless of how it is managed.
Benchmarks show that virtualized environments can introduce measurable overhead compared with bare-metal execution, though the impact varies depending on the workload and setup.
Myth 1: Hardware
In terms of hardware, bare metals servers have a clear competitive edge over traditional dedicated servers. Whether it is the newest generation of Intel Xeon Processors or DDR4 Random Access Memory with Error Correcting Code (ECC), bare-metal servers come with all the latest technologies. Likewise, the storage technology used in these servers is also superior, with the adoption of NVMe solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of standard SATA SSDs and hard drives.
This is an example of information we’ve found online that speaks in absolutes. This misconception largely comes from marketing language rather than technical reality. Some providers label their newest hardware as “bare metal” to differentiate it from older dedicated inventory, even though both offerings may be physically identical.
While certain bare metal server providers may offer superior hardware, it’s essential to note that this isn’t universally true in every case.
Take our CC-3000 Dedicated Server and CC-3000 Bare Metal Servers for example:
As you can see, they are the same server. The key distinction is that a Dedicated Server is managed, while a Bare Metal Server is unmanaged. We’ll dive into this difference in more detail later in the article.
Myth 2: Billing Term Length
The most noteworthy difference between bare metal and dedicated servers is in terms of pricing or cost. Dedicated servers offer traditional payment plans, which allow you to set monthly or yearly contracts that can easily be compared in total cost across the industry. On the other hand, bare-metal servers provide more flexible per-hour billing plans that enable you to pay for only what you use.
Billing flexibility is a commercial decision, not a technical one. Providers offering hourly or daily billing often do so to align with cloud-style provisioning workflows, not because the underlying server hardware is fundamentally different.
We went through the checkout process with several bare metal server providers. As you can see, the available billing cycles differ from provider to provider. It’s important to note that hourly billing is not a defining feature that distinguishes a dedicated server from a bare metal server; this is another instance of a misleading absolute.
As mentioned earlier, the distinction between a dedicated server and a bare metal server can vary depending on the hosting provider you consult.
At InMotion Hosting, the primary distinction between our dedicated servers and bare metal servers is management level: our dedicated servers are managed, while our bare metal servers are unmanaged.
Our managed servers usually come with cPanel or another web hosting control panel pre-installed for the user. If you’re building a website, your managed server will be set up and ready to use. All you need to do is install your preferred software and get started. Additionally, our managed servers include Premier Care and Launch Assist, a service by our InMotion Solutions team to help you get up and running.
Our unmanaged servers do not come with cPanel or another control panel pre-installed. Instead, the choice is yours on whether you want to install a control panel yourself or run your website by individually installing the necessary components, such as the Apache web server. Advanced and experienced users typically choose unmanaged servers. Consequently, the Launch Assist service from our InMotion Solutions team is not included by default.
Bare Metal and Dedicated Hosting Comparison
Dedicated Servers with Premier Care Support
Serious infrastructure needs comprehensive support. Premier Care provides the security tools, backup protection, and expert assistance your business requires.
Professional Setup Fully-Managed 24/7 Expert Human Support
Dedicated Server Hosting
Quick Decision Guideline
Choose a managed dedicated server if you want faster setup, built-in control panels, and operational assistance.
Choose an unmanaged bare metal server if you want full OS control and are comfortable managing security, updates, and troubleshooting yourself.
Ultimately, the debate between bare metal servers and dedicated servers often comes down to terminology rather than meaningful technical differences. In practice, both refer to single-tenant physical hardware, and the real decision hinges on how much control versus support you want. By understanding how these terms are used in real-world discussions, you can choose a server that aligns with your operational needs, not just the label attached to it.