personally I have a canon, and it's better than my dad's nikon (which is a higher MP), but that's mainly because mine is a full DSLR when his is a hybrid.
it would depend what you're comparing. I imagine compacts from both are pretty simple to use, DSLRs, on the other hand, are a lot harder than compacts, regardless of manufacturer.
I always perfer Canon over Nikons , because their quality (HD) is amazing , and not much surpass it. Especially the 7D.