Both ingredients can help a bake rise, but they are not a direct one-for-one swap. Baking soda needs an appropriate source of acidity, while baking powder includes acid components in its formulation.
Adding more leavener does not reliably make a cake taller. It can affect flavor and structure, and a batter may rise and then collapse. Measure the specified amount and use the product the recipe names.
Keep containers dry and sealed, and check their condition and dates. If a normally reliable recipe suddenly rises poorly, old leavener is one possible cause alongside mixing, oven temperature, and ingredient changes.
When a vegan recipe combines plant milk and vinegar, the acid may be doing a specific job. Removing it because you do not want a vinegar taste can alter the bake even when the finished cake would not have tasted vinegary.