You will get different answers to this question depending if you ask a bass player or guitar player, but the truth is they are quite different instruments, requiring their own technique and playing styles.
Obviously due to the nature of some popular songs basslines being singular notes, the bass guitar can be considerably easier to get results from when starting out, which can be very encouraging to beginners, but the bass is as challenging to learn as any other instrument if you wish to progress to more professional levels.