When there is a comparison, the word you want is than, not then.
...harder than I thought...
...smoother than the last one...
...acts better than she...
...performed better than he did the last time...
More and more, we are seeing the word then in this pattern -- taller then John -- just wrong, wrong, wrong!!! Then means "next" or "at that time."
...saw him then at the match...
...then we turned to the...
Happy punctuating!
Margie