rather than

Instead of; as opposed to; as an alternative to. Sometimes the preferred action is written between "rather" and "than." Rather than spending so much of our budget on advertising, I think we should invest a bit more in QA testing. When I go to the movies, I usually prefer candy rather than popcorn, but I'm in the mood for something salty tonight. He'd rather struggle and fail on his own than ask for help.

rather than

instead of somebody/something: I think I’ll have a cold drink rather than coffee. ♢ Why didn’t you ask for help, rather than trying to do it on your own?