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In the grand scheme of things, the jury is still out on panels made from wood fiber particles or "flour". 500+ years of oil painting (and woodworking) has abundantly demonstrated the performance of "real" gesso (RSG, gypsum & whiting) over solid wood, both for the outstanding permanence of such panels when properly constructed, and for the likliest failure modes when not.
Since panels made from particulate matter have no inherent structural integrity (as the annular rings provide in solid wood) "masonite" panels have shown warp or deformation in the relatively short time they have been commercially available (around 70 years at most). Another difficulty is that while it's pretty easy to determine the exact composition of a gessoed poplar panel, the specifics of resins, fibers, and methods of production are all over the map when one identifies a panel as "masonite". "Masonite" as we currently know it comprises a wide range of panel stocks of different composition, density, weight and absorbency. Since easel paintings aren't usually subjected to very severe conditions, most will probably perform very well over reasonable periods of time.
Dibond or Alumalite panels promise to be far better structurally over the long-haul, since they are extremely stable and rigid, and owing to the laminations of light guage aluminum certainly will not warp or sag of their own weight, or due to ambient change. The only thing that would sink them would be the eventual deterioration/decomposition of the polyethylene core material.
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