For chest growth
For chest growth, plate-loaded chest press and Smith machine bench 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
Plate-Loaded Chest Press. A machine press you load with plates: stable, simple to progress and safe to take close to failure.
Smith Machine Bench Press. The bench press without the balance or a spotter: easy to push hard safely.
For chest growth, plate-loaded chest press and Smith machine bench 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.
Plate-loaded chest press needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Smith machine bench 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.