Gazebo vs pavilion: which one do you need?
Yardistry draws the line at the roof: a gazebo comes to a point, a pavilion has an A-shaped ridge. Sunjoy draws it at size and open sides. Sellers mix the words, so check the roof, the footprint and whether you need a permit. For a roof over a patio table, browse hardtop gazebos.
For a roof over a patio table, bought as a kit and bolted down, the label doesn’t matter: you want a hardtop gazebo, and our best gazebos guide picks the ones worth buying.
If you want open sky some days, look at a louvered pergola instead. The gazebo vs pergola guide sets the two side by side.
Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we chose
Which one do you need?
- A roof over a patio table, bought as a kit
- A hardtop gazebo
- A roof that opens for sun and closes for rain
- Neither: a louvered pergola
- A structure a seller calls a pavilion
- Check the roof shape and footprint
- A big structure built on footings
- Ask your building department about a permit first
Where sellers draw the line between a gazebo and a pavilion
Sellers don’t agree. Yardistry goes by roof shape: a gazebo has a pointed top, a pavilion an A-shaped ridge. Sunjoy goes by size and sides: a pavilion is large and open-sided, a gazebo more enclosed.
So ignore the label and read three things in the listing. Is the roof a point or a ridge? Are the sides open? How big is the footprint? Those mean the same thing at every seller. The word does not.
Watch out: if a listing gives only the word, ask the seller for the roof shape and the footprint before you order.
Size, footings and permits: settle these before you order
Three things decide what you are buying, whatever the listing calls it: the footprint, whether it bolts to a pad or is built on footings, and whether your town wants a permit.
Size is the one that triggers paperwork. The bigger the footprint, the likelier you cross a threshold. The permits section of our pergola cost guide gives the model-code line for detached structures.
Only your building department can confirm the rule for your address, so call it before you order.
If a covered patio is the real need
Every kit below is a gazebo: a fixed roof over a patio, ordered as a kit and bolted down.
Aluminum posts under a two-tier steel roof, the frame for a deck or the coast. Skip it if you need a stated snow load: it states none.
Timber posts under the same style of roof, and the one that states a snow load and a wind rating. Skip it if you don’t want to stain the posts.
A steel-framed two-tier hardtop with pre-drilled anchor plates. Skip it if you won’t touch up the coating: Sunjoy’s warranty says rust where it is scratched is not a defect.
Timber posts under a long two-tier roof, the largest footprint here. Skip it if you want netting and curtains in the box: it includes neither.
| Product | Size | Roof | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunjoy Kingston Aluminum GazeboGazebo, aluminum posts | 12×20 ft | Hardtop | $1,876.80 |
| Sunjoy Kingston Elite Cedar GazeboGazebo, timber posts | 12×20 ft | Hardtop | $1,983.20 |
| Sunjoy Patio Wooden Gazebo with Ceiling HooksGazebo, timber posts | 12×20 ft | Hardtop | $2,172.95 |
Brand list prices, before tax, delivery and installation. Brands often run promotions, so check the live price before you order. Every row is a complete kit before delivery, assembly and footings.
The gazebo pages below sort the rest by roof, frame and size.
Why one listing says both
Some sellers settle the argument by using both words. Erommy titles a 12×16 hardtop a hardtop gazebo and, in the same title, an aluminum-frame permanent pavilion. Purple Leaf does the same on its hardtop kits.
Both file these kits as gazebos. Where a listing names both, check the roof material, the posts and what is in the box. What "permanent" means for a kit that arrives in boxes is on the hardtop gazebos page.
Mirador does it inside one page. The 111A is titled "Offset Gazebo", and its copy calls it a "hardtop pavilion".
An aluminum offset hardtop carried on two sides, not the four-post build of the Sunjoy kits. Skip it if you only want a roof over a table.
Where a pergola fits
Sellers treat a pergola as a separate structure. Yardistry gives it a partial top and Sunjoy an open or lattice roof, where both give a gazebo and a pavilion a solid one.
Weighing a gazebo against a pergola is a different question, about whether the roof is fixed or one you control. The gazebo vs pergola guide answers it and prices both at the same footprint. A solid roof that attaches to your house is a third question, and the patio cover vs pergola guide takes it.
Which should you choose?
Sources (7)
- Yardistry, “Gazebo vs Pergola vs Pavilion. What’s the difference?” · retrieved Oct 9, 2026
- Yardistry, pavilions collection · retrieved Oct 9, 2026
- Sunjoy Gazette, “Gazebo vs Pergola vs Pavilion: The Ultimate Breakdown” · retrieved Oct 9, 2026 · dated 12 Mar 2026
- Sunjoy Gazette, “What Is a Simple Definition of a Gazebo?” · retrieved Oct 9, 2026 · dated 29 Jan 2025
- Mirador Outdoor, 111A 10’x16’ Offset Gazebo · retrieved Oct 9, 2026
- Erommy, 12' x 16' hardtop gazebo listing · retrieved Oct 9, 2026
- Purple Leaf, hardtop gazebo listing · retrieved Oct 9, 2026
Questions
What is the difference between a gazebo and a pavilion?
Sellers split on it. Yardistry goes by roof shape: a gazebo comes to a point, a pavilion has an A-shaped ridge. Sunjoy calls a pavilion large and open-sided and a gazebo more enclosed, though an earlier Sunjoy article calls a gazebo open-sided. Read the roof, the sides and the footprint in the listing.
Is a pavilion bigger than a gazebo?
Sunjoy says a pavilion is often larger. Yardistry defines the two by roof shape, not size, and neither gives a size line. Check the footprint in the listing.
Is a "permanent pavilion" a hardtop gazebo?
Sometimes, yes. Erommy and Purple Leaf both title hardtop kits as gazebos and add "pavilion" to the title. Check the roof material, the posts and the box contents rather than the word. The hardtop gazebos page explains what "permanent" means for a kit.
Is a pavilion the same as a pergola?
No. Sellers treat them as different. Yardistry’s pavilion has a hard top and its pergola a partial one, and Sunjoy’s pavilion has a solid roof where its pergola has an open or lattice one. The gazebo vs pergola guide covers the pergola question.
Does The Pergola Kit list pavilions?
No. We list gazebos and pergolas. Mirador’s 111A is listed as a gazebo because its title says so, though Mirador’s copy also calls it a pavilion. Yardistry sells kits titled pavilion on its own site.