What's the Difference Among Gazebo and Canopy and Pergola?

Are you looking for an outdoor building for your outdoor or backyard but confused about these terms? Gazebo, canopy, or pergola? Let's easily talk about their differences.

A Gazebo is a pavilion design, which is very suitable for decorating your park and providing you with a leisure place, and it can also provide shade. Canopy is generally used temporarily, and can provide a place for your queue and temporary activities. Pergola is a powerful assistant for your backyard, allowing you to DIY your backyard freely.

However, its ability to shelter from wind and rain is weaker than that of canopy and gazebo. Based on your actual needs, we will further introduce the differences between the three to help you make a choice.

What Is a Canopy?

Best for: Outdoor weddings, birthday parties, picnics, coffee shops, restaurants, residential courtyard leisure areas...

A Canopy is a temporary shade structure supported by a frame and covered by a tarp. Typically, a canopy has no floor or side walls, giving it an open and airy feel. The most common canopy structure is the sloping roof design. This design is conducive to drainage. There are also some foldable canopies that are easy to carry and store.

The installation method is simple, without professional tools and complex technology. Some products on the market also adopt a pop-up design, which is very convenient and fast.

For cover, canopies are commonly made of canvas and polyester. Both are very suitable for use in outdoor scenes and can effectively block sunlight and rain. Among them, polyester fiber does not easily age or become brittle when exposed to the sun for a long time, so it is more popular among those who like to frequently use a canopy for outdoor parties or events.

Generally, canopies are made of a metal frame like steel and aluminum. The quality varies greatly from brand to brand. Some cheaply priced canopies are prone to shaking or even breaking in high winds. Therefore, invest in a high quality tent frame to avoid such problems. At Sheltent, our canopy is made up of aluminum alloy, which is stable and has a long lifespan of almost 20 years.

Because it is high-strength and corrosion-resistant, our canopy can provide stable support for the entire structure. It can also be used for a long time without damage to environments with high air humidity, such as coastal areas. These two ensure that a small heavy duty canopy tent can withstand a wind speed of 80km/h.

If you want your canopy to withstand higher wind speeds, you can use steel stakes and sandbags to fix them. It is important to choose suitable canopy weights to ensure stability in strong winds.

What's more, canopy has a wide range of sizes and can be customized according to actual needs. Small canopies are only a few square meters and are small shelters for outdoor leisure for several people. Large canopies can be used in commercial places or large events, covering an area of hundreds or thousands of square meters.

Benefits of a Canopy  

• Easy to Build
• Easy to Transport
• Easy to Store
• Customizable

What Is a Gazebo?

Best for: Outdoor events, family gatherings, small parties, gardens, courtyards, hotels, resorts, recreational facilities...

Gazebos are usually octagonal or hexagonal, square, or circular in design. The square structure is simple and elegant, suitable for regular courtyard layouts. The round shape is softer. Most gazebos have a pointed roof design, which is conducive to drainage and snow sliding off. The roof is usually supported by beams and rafters. Larger gazebos also have decorative trusses added to the inside of the roof.

They can be made of a variety of materials, each with a different aesthetic. Wood is one of the most commonly used materials because of its natural beauty. However, it needs regular maintenance and protective paint. Metal gazebos are durable and not easy to deform. It is non-flammable, has strong wind resistance, and is more modern than wooden gazebos.

You might be curious about which is better. Gazebo vs canopy? A Gazebo has additional facilities such as sidewall and flooring, which are more suitable for permanent construction. These facilities also improve comfort and privacy. If you need permanent comfort and privacy, you can choose a gazebo.

Modern gazebos are modular in design, with each component prefabricated in the factory. Only simple assembly is required on-site. Permanent gazebos have a concrete foundation, with the columns buried deep in the ground and fixed with bolts. In cases where a concrete foundation cannot be poured, heavy metal bases or sandbags can also be used to increase stability.

Small gazebos are about 2-6 square meters in size and are suitable for embellishing small courtyards. They can accommodate 2-4 people. Large gazebos are more than 12 square meters in size and can even reach tens of square meters. Large gazebos are often used in commercial places, such as hotel gardens and resorts, and can also be used for large events such as weddings and parties.

Benefits of a Gazebo

• Various Shapes
• Peak Design
• Sturdy and Durable
• Stable and Windproof
• Enhance the Sense of Refinement

What Is a Pergola?

Best for: Leisure, gathering, festival, landscaping, commercial use...

A pergola is composed of columns, beams and rafters. The columns support the entire structure, the beams are placed on the columns, and the rafters are laid on the beams to form an open-top structure, which can partially penetrate sunlight. It is mostly rectangular or square with a regular structure.

Like a gazebo, a pergola can be made of a variety of materials. Wood is a common material, and the properties of different woods are also different. For example, pine wood is affordable and easy to process. Mahogany is hard and durable, but the cost is high. It can also be made of metal. Like a gazebo, a metal pergola is usually made of aluminum alloy and steel to provide a more modern aesthetic.

It should be noted that the open-top structure cannot completely block the sun, and sunshades. Climbing plants, etc. can be added to enhance sun protection. At the same time, the rainproof ability itself is limited, and it may not be able to keep the bottom completely dry in heavy rain.

A small, pergola is about 2-4 square meters, suitable for small courtyards and can accommodate 1-2 people. A large open-top pergola is more than 8 square meters, can be used in commercial places, open-top and can accommodate multiple people.

Benefits of a Pergola

• Open Structure
• Broad Field of View
• Modular Design
• Long Service Life

Gazebo vs Canopy vs Pergola: Which to Choose?

How to choose the right outdoor structures depends on your specific needs.
If you prefer a convenient and easy-to-install shelter, then canopy is more suitable. It is mainly used for temporary construction. If you need to fix it, you can use steel stakes to fix it. Gazebo vs canopy, canopy will cost less. At the same time, the canopy can add sidewalls to protect against wind and rain, and even provide a certain degree of privacy on some occasions.

If you like beautiful permanent buildings. Then gazebo and pergola are good choices. Both of them have a significant effect on improving the style of the venue. It can make your venue look more refined and beautiful. Furthermore, if you want to be practical and can provide greater protection from wind and rain, choose a gazebo. If the weather in your area is mild and stable, you can choose a pergola.

If you want to add landscape elements to your courtyard, create a garden path, and also want to allow sunlight to penetrate moderately, pergola is more suitable. Its open top can form a natural shade through climbing plants. It can live in harmony with your garden.

If your needs are complex and unclear, you can contact Sheltent's professional team to provide you with professional consulting services.

Interested in Canopy? Sheltent Here for You

Canopy is popular for its advantages. If you are considering adding a sunshade and rain shelter to your garden, or if you are planning an outdoor event and need practical shelter facilities, Canopy is undoubtedly an excellent choice. It balances price and quality to bring you the most cost-effective choice.

Sheltent is a professional brand specializing in the canopy. For more than ten years, Sheltent has been committed to accepting customer feedback, continuously improving products, and providing customers with high-quality and diverse Canopy.

Next, I recommend two popular products of Sheltent:

Pole Tent: Pole tent features a peaked roof, which brings elegant vibes for stylish events. The simple structure is supported by center poles and side poles that make it easy to install. It uses high-strength 6061-T6 aluminum alloy as support, which is extremely stable. The top is made of high-quality 430 g white double PVC.

This means it has excellent waterproof and sun-proof properties so that you will not be affected by the heated sun and any unexpected rain. With various options to choose from, its size is flexible and varied, ranging from 10 square meters for small gatherings to hundreds of square meters for large events.

Frame Tent: Frame tent is supported by the frame only, without the need of interior center pole. It also uses 6061-T5 aluminum alloy frame and 430 g white blackout double PVC. It is easy to install, without deep buried poles, and the tent can be firmly fixed with simple ground fixings. It is suitable for installation in hotel gardens, resorts and other places as a leisure shade area.

If you are considering using a frame tent for advertising, it can also be customized with brand names for commercial trade shows, product launches, and other activities.

Conclusion

The above article introduces gazebo vs pergola vs canopy in detail. Based on the comparison of gazebo, canopy and pergola in terms of material, structure, ease of use, weather resistance, stability and size, I believe you can choose the product that suits you according to your actual needs.

As a professional canopy manufacturer, Sheltent looks forward to win-win cooperation with you! You can consult for free if you have any questions!

FAQs About a Gazebo, Canopy, and Pergola

What's the Difference Between Gazebo and Canopy?

A gazebo is an independent structure with complex installation and exquisite appearance, which is suitable for creating fixed leisure areas. Canopy has diverse structures, convenient installation and customizable sizes, which is more suitable for temporary sunshades and rain shelters or temporary applications in commercial places.

What's the Difference Between Pergola and Canopy?

The pergola has an open-top frame structure and is mainly used for courtyard landscaping. The shading effect can be enhanced by adding shade cloth or planting plants. Canopy has a variety of structures, strong flexibility, and strong wind and rain protection capabilities. It is suitable for temporary event construction and can also be used as a fixed facility in commercial venues.