に比べて — is this interchangeable with よりも in comparisons?

Question

去年に比べて今年は暑い vs 去年より今年は暑い. Both seem to compare this year to last year. Is に比べて just a more formal/written way of saying the same thing as より, or is there an actual difference in what kind of comparison each implies?

Accepted Answer

They overlap a lot, but に比べて leans more formal/written and tends to frame a fuller comparison between two things across some standard or set of criteria (often with data, statistics, reports — 去年に比べて売上が伸びた), whereas より is the all-purpose comparative particle usable in casual speech too, and works for simple direct comparisons (これはそれより大きい). If you're comparing structured facts/trends, に比べて reads more natural; for quick everyday comparisons, より is lighter.