PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to investigate the vibration isolation performance of a quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) metastructure by employing the band gap (BG) mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThe metastructure QZS characteristic was investigated through static analysis by numerical simulation. Based on that, the BG mechanism is primarily used in this article to investigate the wave propagation characteristics of this structure. The model's dispersion relation is then examined using theoretical (perturbation method) and finite element techniques. The dynamic response of the finite-size systems and experimental analysis is used to confirm the vibration mitigation property under investigation. Finally, the model's ability to absorb energy was examined and contrasted with a traditional model.FindingsThe analytical analysis reveals the dispersion curve and the effect of the nonlinear parameter on the curve shifting. The dispersion curve in the finite element method (FEM) result depicts five complete BGs within the range of 0–1,000 Hz, and the BG width accounted for 67.4% of the frequency concerned (0–1,000 Hz). Eigenmodes of the dispersion curves were analyzed to investigate the BG formation mechanisms. The dependence of BG opening and closure on structure parameters was also studied. Finally, the energy absorption property of the QZS metastructure was evaluated by comparing it with a classical model. The QZS structure absorbs 4.08 J/Kg compared to the 3.69 J/Kg absorbed by the classical model, which reveals that the QZS demonstrates better energy absorption performance. Based on the BG mechanism, it is clear that this model is an excellent vibration isolator, and the study reveals the frequencies at which complete vibration mitigation is achieved. As a result, this model could be a promising candidate for vibration mitigation engineering structures and energy absorption.Originality/valueThe tough vibration issue, which is primarily experienced in mechanical equipment, will be resolved in this study. This study provides a precise understanding of the QZS metastructure's isolation of vibration, including the frequencies at which this isolation occurs.