Why do turbofans find the swirl-compensating stators to be efficient, rather than a source of extra drag?
Like everthing else, there's a bit of tradeoff (airfoils have lift AND drag, don't you know).
But to merely call the stators "swirl-compensating" misses the point. They convert the swirl or vortex energy (which would otherwise be wasted in the slipstream) into increased static pressure, which results in a higher nozzle pressure and velocity, which can in turn be optimized for best cruise thrust & SFC.
A propeller designer doesn't have so many "knobs to twist" in optimizing his design, so he is stuck in a lower-speed cruise regime.