East Prep Learning

Usage note: Compare to vs Compare with (SAT, GMAT)

'Compare with' is to place side by side, noting the differences and similarities between, for example,

Let us compare his goals with his actual accomplishments

"Compare to" is to observe or point only to the likeness between, for example,

The psychologist compared this action to the one his father had committed

So as you can understand, it is not always easy to understand what the author intends.
But then again it also makes sense why 'compare with' is preferred.