Smartside Vrs Hardie

Hardie wins.
I have been a remodeling contractor for 16 years and have used all 3 products extensively. We prefer the Hardie product because it is very tough and more attractive.
It looks better and doesn’t have the expansion/warping issues that LP Smartside does. LP Smartside calls for a 3/16 inch space to be left at all seams- awful! . Some guys then try to caulk the seam gaps or use a metal seam splice, poor options for discerning homeowners in my opinion. Hardie seams are butted tight and has proved to be a very stable product.
Also if you look at LP Smartside its just OSB (chipboard) with a textured face, so it’s basically the same old wood composite siding that has been failing for years. The only thing new about Smartside is the name and the flashy new marketing campaign in my opinion.
Cedar siding looks great and is pretty tough but the high initial cost and the 3-5 year paint cycle gets expensive quick.
Go with properly installed Hardie fiber cement and be done with siding issues is my Advice.
Hope that helps,
Tight lines to all!