ように見える|ようにみえる

1. 1Seems or appears to be in a certain state judging from outward appearance, sometimes contrasting with the actual situation.Ex. 1
2. 2Looks just like something else; used for visual resemblance or likening, often with まるで.Ex. 2

A neutral expression usable in both speech and writing, typically for describing people's expressions, behavior, or how objects look. It stresses a visual impression and is often followed by が or けど to reveal that the reality is different. It is frequently paired with まるで to make a vivid comparison.

• ようだN4「ようだ」 can be used to make conjectures from all kinds of clues—sounds, feelings, information, and more—whereas 「ように見える」 relies on appearance alone and often implies things may not actually be that way. When the basis is appearance, the two are mostly interchangeable, and in metaphors both can pair with 「まるで」.
• そうに / そうなN4「そうに/そうな」 attach to adjective stems or the ます形 of verbs, but not to nouns; 「そうに」 works adverbially and 「そうな」 attributively, and when it follows a verb it can mean "on the verge of …". For the "looks just like …" type of metaphor, 「ように見える」 is generally used.
• みたいだN4「みたいだ」 is not limited to appearance for either conjecture or metaphor—it also works from what you hear or feel—and its tone is casual and colloquial. It attaches directly to nouns and な-adjectives without 「の」 or 「な」, and the two are interchangeable only for "looks like" conjecture or metaphor.
• らしいN4「らしい」 mostly makes conjectures from hearsay or outside information and can express "I hear that ...", and it is not limited to the visual. 「ように見える」 relies on appearance alone and often implies things may not actually be so, while 「らしい」 attaches directly to nouns and な-adjective stems without 「の」 or 「な」.
• ような気がするN3「ような気がする」 makes a tentative judgment based on the speaker's inner feelings; its basis is not limited to appearance, and it can also express vague memories of past experiences, whereas 「ように見える」 is limited to "how things look." Both take the same preceding forms.
• がするN4「がする」 attaches to nouns such as 音・匂い・味・気 and directly describes sounds, smells, tastes, or physical and mental sensations that arise naturally; it is not conjecture and is not used for vision. 「ように見える」 is limited to conjecture or metaphor about visual appearance, so the two cannot be interchanged.

ように見える reports the speaker's own visual impression, while ようだ and its casual counterpart みたいだ express inference from any kind of evidence, and らしい presents a more detached conclusion drawn from external evidence, which may be something seen but is often hearsay. そうに / そうな attaches to stems to describe an immediate outward look, ような気がする expresses a vague personal feeling, and がする reports non-visual sensations such as smells, sounds, or tastes.