For front-delt growth
For front-delt growth, machine shoulder press and Smith machine shoulder press score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both.
Both are good choices that train the front delts 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 Shoulder Press. A stable overhead press: easy to load and push hard, with the front delts doing most of the work.
Smith Machine Shoulder Press. The overhead press on a fixed path, so balance never limits the set.
For front-delt growth, machine shoulder press and Smith machine shoulder press score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both. Both are good choices that train the front delts 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 shoulder press needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Smith machine shoulder press 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.