For chest growth
For chest growth, the two are close. Dumbbell bench press rates slightly higher: more stretch.
Single-arm cable chest press is easier on the joints.
Both are good choices that train the chest the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Dumbbell Bench Press. Dumbbells go deeper than a barbell, giving the chest a bigger stretch.
Single-Arm Cable Chest Press. One arm at a time under constant cable tension: kind to the shoulders, slower to load heavy.
For chest growth, the two are close. Dumbbell bench press rates slightly higher: more stretch. Single-arm cable chest press is easier on the joints. Both are good choices that train the chest the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Dumbbell bench press needs dumbbells and a bench, so a home gym covers it. Single-arm cable chest press needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Single-arm cable chest press: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for dumbbell bench press.