Compare means to look for the difference between two or more things. (verb)
Example:That seems expensive - have you compared prices in other shops?
also
Compare means to consider that something is similar or of equal quality to something else. (verb)
Example: You can't compare the two cities - they're totally different.
Contrast means an obvious difference between two or more things. (noun)
Example: I like the contrast of the white pants with the black jacket.
also
Contrast can mean to compare two people or things in order to show the differences between them. (verb)
Example: If you contrast some of her early writing with her later work, you can see just how much she improved.
These words are very similar but are used in different contexts.