Are they same?

These are possible:

It looks like he is struggling hard.
It seems to me that he's struggling hard.
It seems like he is struggling hard.

They are synonymous; the last one is informal.

You can also use this:

It seems/ looks as if he is struggling hard.

Hi MM,

Thank you so much for helping me out again.

To be clear,
It seems/ looks as if he is struggling hard. - Doesn't this mean that the person who is telling this is in doubt whether he is actually struggling or not?

Because, I was taught to use 'as if' only in sentences like this

They treated me as if I were crime. - He's not crime but they

shaunmDoesn't this mean that the person who is telling this is in doubt whether he is actually struggling or not?

No; the teller could be speaking about an actor.

I am confused

'As if' is used in two ways.

1. It seems/ looks as if he is struggling hard. 'As if' = 'like' and takes indicative.
2. She speaks as if she were ('was' informally) an expert. 'As if'' = hypothetical condition and takes subjunctive.

Gotcha!

Thanks for clearly explaining me, MM