Bards are hated when they swarm kite (fight a lot of monsters at once) because it makes it harder for others to kill stuff. The rest of the time everyone loves them ... but I don't think it's true that "almost everyone" has a bard.
Both classes melee primarily (Rangers can do some interesting stuff with archery, especially with certain soloing styles, but in general they melee). Technically only Rangers "cast spells", but Bards get songs which are very similar to spells.
Bards are, in my opinion, more powerful than Rangers. The two are similar, but Bards get plate (Rangers get chain). Bards can charm, Rangers can't. Rangers can track better, but both can track. Bard's can't heal, they can only speed up regen ... but Ranger healing isn't great. The main thing Rangers have is greater DPS and animal fear kiting (which let's them solo better than most melee/hybrids ... but bards are still probably the best melee/hybrid soloers).
All that being said, you should play whatever most appeals to you. There will always be more powerful and less powerful classes, but A) this server would be a very boring place if everyone only played the most powerful classes, B) if you pick a class just because it is/isn't popular/powerful you're not going to enjoy playing it, C) "powerful" is not one set thing, it varies by context.
One final thought: because they try to "twist" multiple songs at once (which involves hitting the same 4+ keys over and over every few seconds) Bards are by far the hardest class in the game on your body. If you play one be sure to practice proper ergonomics or you will give yourself carpal tunnel.
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