Authentic8 Silo vs Surf Security (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Authentic8 Silo if

• Fits if you investigate sites and need your own systems kept out of it
• Makes sense if you need research traffic to come from chosen regions

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are one person: the lowest tier is $1,450 per user a year for one region
• Skip it if you want everyday browsing: Authentic8 says it is not a VPN, VDI or enterprise browser
• Tight if you need AI: Nexus AI is capped at 10 prompts a day on the listed tiers
• Watch out: the price rises with regions, to $3,450 for all of them
• Watch out: the trial has limited egress nodes

Pick Surf Security if

• Fits if your company wants to control staff use of generative AI
• Makes sense if contractors on their own devices need access to a few company apps

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a price, since the site points to a demo only
• Not for you if you work alone, as it is sold for organizations
• Watch out: no free plan or trial is listed
• Watch out: the vendor calls the agent runtime new, so check what it covers today
• Tight if you need mobile: the full browser is for desktops and phone support is listed separately

Authentic8 Silo

• Pricing is per user per year, and the price rises with the number of regions covered.
• Nexus AI is capped at 10 prompts a day on the listed tiers; unlimited use is an enterprise option.
• Authentic8 says it is not a VPN, VDI or enterprise browser, so it does not replace everyday browsing.
• The pages read do not list client operating systems; Silo is described as a cloud environment.

Surf Security

• No pricing is published; the site directs visitors to book a demo.
• The full browser is for desktops, with mobile support on iOS, iPadOS and Android as listed by SURF.
• SURF describes the agentic AI runtime as new, so check its current scope with the vendor.

Authentic8 Silo

Isolated workspaces

Each workspace runs apps in separate containers away from the user's network, so content from the threat space cannot reach local systems.

Managed attribution network

Traffic exits through 700+ endpoints across 100+ regions, with residential, mobile, data center, Tor and dark web options.

Apps beside the browser

Workspaces combine the Silo for Research browser with apps such as Telegram, Signal, Maltego, LibreOffice and Obsidian.

Governance and audit

Admins enforce access, data and usage policies, watch activity in real time and keep encrypted audit logs.

Nexus AI

An AI assistant with source-grounded responses and live content capture is included, limited to 10 prompts a day on listed plans.

Surf Security

Shadow AI controls

Discovers generative AI tools in use, masks sensitive data in prompts, blocks risky uploads and governs AI browser extensions.

Agentic AI runtime

A sandboxed, human-verified loop for autonomous agents, with an air gap between planning and live access and video, logs and transcripts for auditing.

Scoped remote access

Contractors, BYOD staff and acquired teams get access to specific apps, which SURF says avoids VPN and VDI.

Browser or extension

Companies can deploy the full Chromium-based browser or a lightweight extension for Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers.

Compliance focus

The site lists compliance officers and data protection officers among its audiences and a use case for ensuring compliance.

Authentic8 Silo

• Local$1,450

  per user / year

  One geographic region of your choice, with all Silo Workspace features, admin controls and Nexus AI.

• Multi-Region$2,450

  per user / year

  Any two regions, with the same features as Local.

• Global$3,450

  per user / year

  All regions, including the dark web and rapid response nodes, with the same features.

Surf Security

Pricing could not be confirmed. See surf.security.