Softwr

Government · head to head

NEOGOV vs Surfshark

NEOGOV logo

NEOGOV

Government

Public sector HR suite covering civil service recruiting, onboarding, training and policy management

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Surfshark logo

Surfshark

Cybersecurity

Secure your digital life

From
$1.78/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: NEOGOV each module is shallower than the specialist product it competes with, so agencies buying the full suite for coherence accept weaker performance management and learning than they would get separately.; Surfshark smaller server network (4,500+ servers) compared to larger competitors like NordVPN
  • They diverge on capability: NEOGOV covers Civil service recruiting, Surfshark covers Unlimited devices.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NEOGOV and Surfshark actually diverge.

Attributes where NEOGOV and Surfshark differ
AttributeNEOGOVSurfshark
Starting priceOn request$1.78/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in NEOGOV

  • Civil service recruiting
  • Veterans preference handling
  • GovernmentJobs.com posting
  • Onboarding workflows
  • Learning and training records
  • Policy management

Only in Surfshark

  • Unlimited devices
  • CleanWeb ad blocker
  • MultiHop
  • Camouflage Mode
  • NoBorders mode
  • Kill Switch
  • Bypasser split tunneling
  • Rotating IP

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

NEOGOV

  • A city or county HR department that must run scored examinations and ranked eligibility listsnot Surfshark
  • A public safety agency needing policy acknowledgement records that stand up in litigationnot Surfshark
  • An agency replacing a commercial applicant tracking system that cannot handle veterans preferencenot Surfshark
  • A school district or university consolidating recruiting, onboarding and mandated training recordsnot Surfshark

Surfshark

  • Vpnnot NEOGOV
  • Privacynot NEOGOV
  • Security Suitenot NEOGOV

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

NEOGOV

  • Each module is shallower than the specialist product it competes with, so agencies buying the full suite for coherence accept weaker performance management and learning than they would get separately.
  • Policy management arrived through the PowerDMS acquisition rather than being built in, and the join between it and the rest of the suite still reads as two products.
  • Implementation is long and configuration heavy because the civil service rules that make the product valuable have to be encoded for your jurisdiction, and that work is billed.
  • Pricing is not published and scales with headcount, so a large agency can pay several times what a comparable one pays without knowing it unless someone reads the public contracts.
  • Private equity ownership since the Warburg Pincus investment has coincided with an acquisition led strategy, and buyers should expect further products bolted on rather than deeper integration of the existing ones.

Surfshark

  • Smaller server network (4,500+ servers) compared to larger competitors like NordVPN
  • Lower brand recognition compared to established VPN providers
  • Limited customer service availability in some time zones

Pricing, plan by plan

NEOGOV

On request
  • NEOGOV Suite$undefined/year
    • Quoted per module and scaled by employee headcount
    • Implementation and data migration priced separately from the subscription
    • Available through cooperative purchasing and state term contracts

Surfshark

$1.78/month
  • Starter$1.78/month
    • Unlimited simultaneous connections
    • 4,500+ servers
    • Basic VPN
  • One$3.59/month
    • VPN
    • Antivirus
    • Personal data leak alert
  • One+$4/month
    • All One features
    • Incogi included

Which should you pick?

Choose NEOGOV if

  • You need civil service recruiting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want veterans preference handling.
NEOGOV review

Choose Surfshark if

  • You need unlimited devices.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want cleanweb ad blocker.
Surfshark review

Questions people ask

Is NEOGOV or Surfshark better?
Neither clearly leads. NEOGOV starts at On request and Surfshark at $1.78/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NEOGOV or Surfshark?
NEOGOV starts at On request and Surfshark at $1.78/month.
Does NEOGOV or Surfshark run on more platforms?
NEOGOV runs on Web, iOS, Android. Surfshark runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux.
What is NEOGOV best used for?
NEOGOV is most often used for a city or county hr department that must run scored examinations and ranked eligibility lists, a public safety agency needing policy acknowledgement records that stand up in litigation, an agency replacing a commercial applicant tracking system that cannot handle veterans preference, a school district or university consolidating recruiting, onboarding and mandated training records. Of those, a city or county hr department that must run scored examinations and ranked eligibility lists and a public safety agency needing policy acknowledgement records that stand up in litigation are not what Surfshark is typically brought in for.
What can NEOGOV do that Surfshark cannot?
NEOGOV covers Civil service recruiting, Veterans preference handling, GovernmentJobs.com posting, Onboarding workflows. Surfshark covers Unlimited devices, CleanWeb ad blocker, MultiHop, Camouflage Mode.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NEOGOV: Why not use a commercial applicant tracking system?

Because civil service rules such as ranked eligibility lists, rule of three certification and veterans preference are not expressible in commercial products, so the statutory steps end up in spreadsheets.

Surfshark: Does Surfshark maintain a no-logs policy?

Yes. Surfshark does not log browsing history, visited IP addresses, bandwidth usage, or network traffic. This policy was independently verified by Deloitte in 2025.

Source
NEOGOV: Can I find out what other agencies pay?

Yes. These are public procurements, so executed contract values appear in council agenda packets and state term contract listings. Read several before negotiating.

Surfshark: How many simultaneous device connections does Surfshark allow?

Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections on all subscription plans, enabling protection of every device in a household with a single subscription.

Source
NEOGOV: What did NEOGOV acquire?

PowerDMS, a policy management and accreditation product, in 2021, which is now sold as the policy module of the suite.

NEOGOV: Is it only for the United States?

Effectively yes. The value is in encoding US civil service and public safety requirements.

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