For chest growth
For chest growth, machine chest press and plate-loaded chest press score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both.
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
Machine Chest Press. Press strength without the balance or spotter a barbell needs.
Plate-Loaded Chest Press. A machine press you load with plates: stable, simple to progress and safe to take close to failure.
For chest growth, machine chest press and plate-loaded chest press score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both. 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.
Machine chest press needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Plate-loaded chest press needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
About the same: both rate Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.