For lat growth
For lat growth, the two are close. Machine row rates slightly higher: more of the work on the lats.
Plate-loaded pulldown gives more stretch.
Both are good choices, and they train the lats differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Plate-Loaded Pulldown. A plate-loaded pulldown on a fixed path: full overhead stretch and easy to load in small steps.
Machine Row. Chest support removes the lower back from the equation, so the upper back takes all the work.
For lat growth, the two are close. Machine row rates slightly higher: more of the work on the lats. Plate-loaded pulldown gives more stretch. Both are good choices, and they train the lats differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Plate-loaded pulldown needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Machine row 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.