It depends on how you define safer.


A web browser extension can:

• access all sites you visit
• read / modify each information you enter on any website (e.g. usernames / passwords)
• steal your cookies (which are a form of authentication)

However, a browser extension can NOT:

• search through your file system
• download any additional malware (add-ons are run within an isolated environment)
• access your system at all
• do anything non-browser-related
• compromise your system

Running an executable on your system can do anything the user also is able to do (or even more if a privilege escalation is being abused).