The manager's words were aimed at insulting the guy instead of/rather than helping him

[Tony_M]

Hello.

The dialogue is mine.

A: What do you make of our new manager?
B: Nothing good. Yesterday I happened to be an accidental witness to his conversation with one of the new guys after the latter made a few mistakes in his report. The manager's words were aimed at insulting the guy instead of/rather than helping him.

Is "instead of" better than "rather than" in this context?

Thank you.

 

[Skrej]

No, they're equally acceptable.

 

[jutfrank]

I think 'rather than' is a slight bit better.