For glute growth
For glute growth, hip thrust machine and Smith machine hip thrust score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both.
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
Hip Thrust Machine. Puts the glutes first with a stable setup and easy loading, though most tension comes at the top, where they’re short.
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, hip thrust machine and Smith machine hip thrust score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both. 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.
Hip thrust 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.