For glute growth
For glute growth, the two are close. Smith machine hip thrust rates slightly higher: more of the work on the glutes.
Glute kickback machine gives more stretch.
Both are good choices that train the glutes 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
Glute Kickback Machine. Isolates one glute at a time on a fixed path. Simple to load and easy to recover from.
Smith Machine Hip Thrust. A hip thrust on rails: stable and simple to load, with the glutes working mostly at the top.
For glute growth, the two are close. Smith machine hip thrust rates slightly higher: more of the work on the glutes. Glute kickback machine gives more stretch. Both are good choices that train the glutes 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.
Glute kickback machine needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Smith machine hip thrust needs a Smith machine and a bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
About the same: both rate Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.