I Have a Question - I don't understand the meaning of this sentence

I don't understand the meaning of this sentence:

我跟朋友比起来的确比较用功。
Wǒ gēn péngyou bǐqǐlái díquè bǐjiào yònggōng.

Especially I don't understand the "比起来" part.

Thanks in advance for your comments.