Believe it or not, there are people in this World that do not consider a chainsaw an essential must have.... I know, but the World is full of weirdos.
Having said that, needing one for a few minutes and knowing someone in the neighbourhood has one is priceless- you might get to borrow it and not have to buy one so it acts like a boat or a caravan- handy for the day you want to use it, something to trip over and store for the other 364 days of the year.
Which is safer for a novice user does not really come into it- bit like you can kill stuff just as dead with a .22lr as you can with a .45/70- the holes just get bigger.