に比べて|にくらべて

1. 1Compared with X (the standard), Y is described as having a certain quality or degree.Ex. 1
2. 2Used to contrast two situations or places and point out how one differs from the other.Ex. 2

Neutral in register and common in both speech and writing, especially when describing changes over time or differences between places, people or situations. Compared with simple より, it frames the comparison more explicitly and often opens the sentence as a separate phrase. The main clause typically states a quality or degree, such as 涼しい or のんびりしている.

• 1.
  にひきかえN1「にひきかえ」emphasizes that two things are complete opposites, often using one's good points to highlight the other's bad ones, with a subjective tone of praise or criticism. It is rather formal/written, can also appear as 「それにひきかえ」 to link back to the previous statement, and cannot be used for simply comparing degrees or amounts.
• 2.
  わりにN3「わりに」does not compare two things directly; it says the actual situation is out of line with what would be expected from the first item (e.g. 「安いわりにおいしい」). It attaches directly to verbs and adjectives and can also work as an adverb, so the two are not interchangeable.
• 3.
  よりN5When meaning 'compared to', 「より」 is mostly interchangeable with 「に比べて」, but it simply gives the standard of comparison and often pairs with 「ほうが」. 「より」 attaches directly to verbs without 「の」, and in written language it can also mean 'from'.
• 4.
  に対してN3「に対して」 is close to 「に比べて」 only in its contrastive sense, focusing on two opposite situations set against each other. When using the first item as a baseline to compare degrees, 「に比べて」 is the usual choice. 「に対して」 meaning 'toward' or 'per/proportional to' cannot be replaced with 「に比べて」.
• 5.
  より〜ほうがN5「より〜ほうが」 only compares degrees, with the focus on the 「ほうが」 side, and is often used to answer 「どちらが」 questions. It attaches directly to verbs without 「の」. When comparing degrees the two are mostly interchangeable, but contrasting differences in nature or category requires 「に比べて」.
• 6.
  逆にN2「逆に」 is an adverb or conjunction meaning 'conversely' or an unexpected result, and sets no standard of comparison. 「に比べて」 attaches to nouns and uses them as a baseline to contrast differences in degree or quality, and does not itself imply 'opposite', so the two cannot be swapped.

Unlike より or より〜ほうが, which are basic comparative frames, に比べて sets up the standard as a separate phrase; にひきかえ stresses a sharp, often evaluative contrast, and に対して highlights opposition or contrast between two things. わりに means "considering" (contrary to expectation), and 逆に is an adverb meaning "conversely," so neither directly marks a standard of comparison.