By the title of your post, I'm guessing you meant to ask the difference between "plaire" and "faire plaisir à (quelqu'un)." "Plaire" means "to please" literally, but is used commonly, as you suggest, to express a "like" for something. It is used inversely, though. To say "I like (something)" with this verb, you say "(something) pleases me." For example, "ça me plaît" means "I like it." "Faire plaisir" is used more often when talking about doing something nice fore someone to "make them happy". For example, "j'ai organisé une soirée surprise pour lui faire plaisir." Or, "elle lui a offert une nouvelle chemise simplement pour lui faire plaisir, ce n'était même pas son anniversaire." I hope this helps!