Joining any lay organization you remain a lay person. In the Institute as a full member you become a vowed, consecrated lay person. There is simply NO comparison. Your question is a natural one. Interesting and very accurate.
ALL people think much the same thoughts, say much the same words and do much the same actions.
What makes one life spiritually better than another is the spiritual situation of each person, NOT what he or she does. And there is NO spiritual situation better than Holy Family membership. In the Church there are hundreds of Institutes. Most of these are for single men and women. It is the only one of its kind.