Both our pergolas are built on exactly the same powder-coated aluminium frame, with the same louvre click system and the same internal guttering hidden inside the legs. The difference is the roof — and it's worth understanding before you choose, because it changes how the pergola sounds, how warm it stays and how it ages.
Atlas vs Solaro at a glance
| Atlas | Solaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Powder-coated aluminium, 120mm legs | Powder-coated aluminium, 120mm legs — identical |
| Louvres | Powder-coated steel, single skin | Powder-coated aluminium, double skin |
| Sound in heavy rain | Noticeable — a single steel skin carries the sound of rainfall | Quieter — the double-skin cavity dampens it |
| Heat and insulation | Warms up faster in direct sun | The air gap between skins slows heat transfer |
| Corrosion resistance | Good while the powder coating is intact. Steel can rust if the coating is chipped or scratched, so touch up any damage. | Excellent. Aluminium doesn't rust, so a scratch stays a scratch. |
| Coastal and exposed sites | Not our recommendation within a few miles of the sea | The right choice for salt air and open, windy gardens |
| Weight | Heavier roof | Lighter |
| Louvre click system | Yes — sun, shade or full cover | Yes — sun, shade or full cover |
| Internal guttering | Yes, through the legs | Yes, through the legs |
| Side screens and heaters | The same screens and heaters fit both ranges — the frame is common | |
| Sizes | 3×3m, 4×3m, 6×3m | 3×3m, 4×3m, 6×3m |
| Warranty | 1 year | 3 years |
| Price from | £1,299 | £1,799 |
So which one should you buy?
Choose the Atlas if…
- Your garden is reasonably sheltered — walls, fencing or mature planting around it
- You're inland rather than near the coast
- You want the louvred look and the sun-or-shelter function at the keenest possible price
- The pergola will get good seasonal use rather than being lived under all year
Choose the Solaro if…
- You're coastal, or your garden is open and takes the weather
- You'll be sitting under it in the rain and want to hold a conversation
- You want the quietest, best-insulated roof we make
- You want the reassurance of our 3-year warranty
- You're treating it as a permanent extension of the house rather than a summer addition
If you're torn, the honest answer is that most people who sit under both choose the Solaro — for the rain noise alone, and because three years of cover on an aluminium roof takes the question out of it. But a well-sited Atlas will give you years of good use, and it's a genuinely better pergola than most of what's sold at its price.
What you get either way
- The same powder-coated aluminium frame with 120mm legs
- Louvres that rotate from fully open to fully closed
- Rainwater channelled discreetly down through the legs
- Free UK delivery
- The option of professional installation by our own team, delivered and fitted in one visit
- The same side screens, heaters and accessories — they fit both
Still not sure?
Tell us where you are and what your garden's like and we'll tell you straight which one we'd put in. Get in touch, or build your pergola and compare the two prices side by side.