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By far the easiest is the corn snake, and they are wonderful pets even if you're not a beginner: they come in beautiful color choices, are generally docile & curious, EASY to feed on frozen-thawed rodents, do not usually go off-feed in the winter, & their cage temperatures are easy to maintain: they do fine if the air averages 70-75*, similar to what most of our houses are, and they need only UTH heat under one end of the cage (not more than 1/4th of the cage unless your house is very cold) so they can use it as needed to digest. If you start with a hatchling, they are delicate & should be allowed to eat & grow (ie. settle in) for a while before you handle them. Any snake will bite in self-defense if afraid, but you'll be hard pressed to even FEEL a bite from a baby corn. By the time they grow (& have bigger teeth) they'll be tame anyway. I wouldn't call them "hard to handle" at all, but like most snakes, they don't naturally sit still, that's all.
Yes, ball pythons are far more difficult, needing a very warm cage & prone to being fussy eaters. I've raised rosy boas for years, & while I like them, they stay small & are normally docile, they typically go off-feed for several months in the winter, which can frustrate anyone new to snakes. For that reason, I'd say they're better as a second snake (once you have a bit of experience), same for W. hognose snakes. Sand boas are cute little snakes but tend to hide under substrate to pounce on prey above them: some find them nippy, less social. King snakes are easy to keep, but while all snakes are "food focused", let's just say that king snakes make more mistakes than most- sort of a "bite first, ask questions later" in case that hand is edible? (lol) Milk snakes are very colorful, but very quick & hyper, a challenge to hold, better to just look at.
A few other snakes you might want to consider:
Trans Pecos rat snakes only get about 4- 4.5' long (similar to corn snakes) & perhaps are my favorite kind. Very laid back- gentle & slow moving- nosy- & good feeders year-round. If you start with a hatchling, make sure it's well-started (ask to see feeding record)- actually that applies to all 'baby' snakes, especially if you're new at this.
Australian spotted python (Antaresia Maculosa)- stays a bit smaller than a corn snake, prefers pre-killed small mice (f/t is fine) easy to feed, tends to cling when held (sits still, lol...that's rare); does need a warmer cage & a humid-hide to shed well. The only one I've known (& currently keep) to judge from has a ferocious appetite, but has never bitten me. (Then again, you need to learn how not to confuse any snake so they know you aren't prey: most are easy, but as I hinted before, king snakes can be rather obtuse.)
My top suggestions (corn, Trans Pecos, spotted python) all enjoy climbing branches, & my spotted python & Trans Pecos rat snakes all love to bask under black lights for warmth at night. (they still have UTH heat at all times too) This makes them interesting to watch & easier to interact with. In fact, I've wired baskets into the corn & Trans Pecos' branches & they often like to sleep curled up in them, which is awfully cute.
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