Pergolas vs Gazebos: What’s the Difference?

Short version: a pergola frames the sky, a gazebo gives you shelter.
If you picture a pergola, think open beams, climbing vines and filtered light, perfect for a garden pergola or a pergola patio where dappled sun matters. Many come as a pergola with roof options now: louvered pergola tops, retractable pergola canopies or even a wooden pergola with roof for full cover. Sizes vary too, from a compact pergola 3x3 to a roomy pergola 4x4, and you’ll see kits marketed for pergola on deck or corner pergola installations.
A gazebo, by contrast, is usually freestanding and fully roofed, a true mirador pergola in some languages, offering weather protection and a cozier footprint. People hunting for gazebo for sale often want that enclosed feeling for dining or shade. Materials overlap: aluminium pergola and metal pergola choices sit alongside classic pergola wood and modern pergola aluminium frames; you can get a metal pergola with roof if durability is the priority.
Which to choose depends on use: choose a pergola for ambiance, climbing plants and partial shade; pick a gazebo when you want rain safe outdoor rooms. Want both ideas? Combine a covered pergola next to a gazebo for flexible outdoor living.