Well, there is a difference, and that is that a Saint is a specially wonderful product of God. It is true that veneration of saints is always a celebration of the glory of God, but it is not true that a saint who prays for you is altogether no different from a friend in this life praying for you. We should solicit both, but we should not forget that sanctity is a tough road for us, like it was for every saint who made it to the end.
Perhaps you are just not fortunate enough to count saints among your friens.