Difference between a pergola and a gazebo
open or covered
The difference between a pergola and a gazebo lies mainly in the roof. A pergola is open at the top and only gives shade with plants or fabric, while a gazebo has a solid roof and usually stands free in the garden. Here you can see how to tell them apart, when each suits and how to shade a made-to-measure pergola.
A pergola and a gazebo differ in roof, location and shade. The pergola is a framework of posts and beams, and the gazebo is a small structure with a closed roof.
- Pergola: open at the top, with rafters or beams instead of a roof. You only get shade from climbing plants or a fabric sun shade.
- Gazebo: solid roof, usually free-standing in the garden. It keeps rain off from above, but not driving rain from the side, and you do not have to extend anything.
- Made-to-measure sun protection: a rope tension awning or rope tension shade sail belongs between or under the rafters of a pergola. A gazebo already has its roof, so an outdoor curtain at the sides is more likely to go there.
- Rain: a fabric sun shade does not turn a pergola into a gazebo. It is not a storm or rain roof and is retracted in rain.
Pergola and gazebo compared
The table shows the typical construction. In the shops the terms blur: a pergola with a solid roof is close to a patio roof, and an open gazebo is close to a pergola.
| Feature | Pergola | Gazebo |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | open, rafters or beams | solid, for example tent, pointed or flat roof |
| Location | often on the house wall over the patio, also free-standing | usually free-standing in the garden |
| Basic shape | usually rectangular, also elongated as a covered walkway | square, round or polygonal |
| Shade | from plants or a fabric sun shade | from the roof itself |
| Rain | no protection without a solid roof | keeps rain off from above, but not driving rain from the side |
| Light | plenty of light, shade only when needed | permanently shady under the roof |
| Made-to-measure sun protection | rope tension awning, rope tension shade sail or folding awning between the rafters, curtain at the side | outdoor curtain at the sides, if posts or beams can bear the load |
How a pergola and a gazebo differ
Both stand in the garden or on the patio, and both are places to sit outdoors. Looking up decides: if you can see the sky between the beams, you are standing under a pergola.
The pergola is an open framework
Posts carry lengthways and crossways beams, and above that it stays open. It used to be a climbing frame for vines and roses, and today the pergola is often the frame for a sun shade over the patio. What exactly a pergola is and which types exist is explained at What is a pergola?
The gazebo is a small structure with a roof
A gazebo has a closed roof and usually stands on its own in the garden, often round, square or hexagonal. Some have side walls, while others are open at the sides. The word comes via French from the Latin papilio, butterfly, and originally meant a tent.
Attached or free-standing
A pergola often leans against the house wall and extends the living room outdoors. A gazebo is usually a place of its own in the garden, set a little way from the house.
Shade as needed or always
Under the pergola you control the shade yourself: extend the fabric when the sun is hot, push it together when you want light. Under the roof of a gazebo it is always shady, also in spring and autumn.
Pergola with a roof - where the line blurs
If a pergola gets a solid roof of glass, slats or plastic, it comes close to a gazebo or a patio roof. What these variants are called is explained at What do you call a pergola with a roof?
When a pergola suits better
A pergola suits better if you want to control light and shade yourself and want to shade an area directly at the house.
Patio directly at the house
The pergola joins the house wall and spans the patio. Between its rafters fits a made-to-measure sun shade that can be pushed to the side or back.
Light in spring and autumn
Because the roof is open, plenty of light falls into the house when the fabric is retracted.
Dividing large areas into panels
A whole pergola cannot be shaded with a single fabric panel. The area is divided into parallel panels of around 150 cm, which you extend individually. We do not recommend panels from about 300 cm wide.
Plants and ideas
Climbing plants and fabric can be combined. You will find inspiration at Pergola roof ideas.
Only a balcony?
You can also have a small pergola on a balcony. What you can fix there without drilling is explained at Pergola on a balcony without drilling.
When a gazebo suits better
The gazebo is the right choice if you want a free-standing spot in the garden that gives shade and some protection from above without any effort.
A place of its own in the garden
A gazebo stands free, for example by the pond or at the end of the garden. It needs no house wall and looks like a small garden house without walls.
Protection from above without extending anything
The solid roof keeps sun and rain off from above without you having to operate anything. It does not keep out driving rain from the side if the sides are open.
Closing the sides with curtains
With a gazebo, low sun, wind and prying eyes come from the side. An outdoor curtain on a track or a wire rope closes the sides as needed. Where to fix it to beams or posts is shown at Fixing a pergola curtain, and this applies to the gazebo just the same.
Permanent shade
Under the solid roof it stays shady even when you would like the sun. On a house, a solid roof takes light from the rooms behind it.
How to shade a made-to-measure pergola
We do not build pergolas or gazebos. We make the textile sun protection for the pergola, to measure. These solutions fit into a pergola frame:
Rope tension awning
Fabric panels run on tensioned ropes between the rafters and can be pushed together by hand, with no motor and no electricity. It is the usual solution for rectangular bays, and when retracted the fabric bundle needs around 30 to 35 cm of space. More at Made-to-measure rope tension awning.
Rope tension shade sail
One continuous sail instead of individual sections. It also covers trapezoidal leftover areas of a pergola, in the same fabric as the awnings next to it. More at Made-to-measure rope tension shade sail.
Folding awning
The panels run in rails between the rafters. If the rafter spacings are not equal, we make all panels to the shortest dimension. More at Made-to-measure folding awning.
Outdoor curtain
For the sides of a pergola and gazebo: as privacy, sun and wind protection, made to measure on a track system. More at Outdoor curtains.
Above or below the roof?
If your pergola already has a glass or plastic roof, the fabric usually sits underneath, between or under the rafters. What each option means is explained at Sun protection above or below the patio roof.
Not a storm or rain roof
A rope tension awning and rope tension shade sail are sun protection, not a storm or rain roof. What a fabric roof can do in rain is explained at Is a pergola roof waterproof?.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- Pergola guide
- Made-to-measure rope tension awning
- Made-to-measure rope tension shade sail
- Outdoor curtains
Last reviewed: 09.11.2026 · Reviewer: Germes-Team
Want to shade your pergola?
Send us a photo of your pergola and the measurements between the rafters. We will tell you which sun protection suits and, if you like, send fabric samples so that you can see the colour in daylight.