Both films are based on the infamous murderers Leopold and Loeb.

Compulsion is the better film. The murderers are very erudite, snooty and cunning. They reminded me of Patrick Bateman. You will not like these guys at all. There is a lot of tension between them. It is obvious the guys were on the down low but they could not talk about that stuff back then. The guys (who lack an identity like Bateman) imagine they can become supermen via commiting a murder and not getting caught or showing any remorse. The neurosis of the super rich, lol. Orson Welles plays the lawyer who defends them during the trial. This trial does not go in circles. You got some fabulous acting along with an anti-death penalty message. This is one of th GOAT films.
Grade A+

Rope,imo, is just not one of Hitchcock's better films. It is far from terrible. The characterization of the guys is good and the same tension exists. There is some great dialogue too. However, Rope is only 82 minutes long and the last 20 minutes are very weak. You only got half of a story here.
Grade B-