Surfboard vs Diligent Boards

Board management apps can make it easier to work with your board. But not all apps are created equal. Finding the platform that’s right for you can not only make your job easier, but help you unlock real value from your board and investors.

Surfboard and Diligent each have strengths and drawbacks, which we’ve outlined below to help you decide which one is right for your team.

Key Takeaways

Surfboard vs Diligent: Main feature comparison

The main differences between Surfboard and Diligent are the pricing, interface, and suite of tools. While Diligent offers decent board-management tools for enterprise companies, Surfboard’s dynamic workflows and intuitive design offer more accessible, flexible options for companies of all sizes.

Here’s an overview of the two apps’ features, side by side.

		Diligent
Digital board book
X	X
Digital board book	X	X
Dynamic tools for meeting prep
X
Dynamic tools for meeting prep	X
Autogenerated slides
X
Autogenerated slides	X
Custom meeting branding
X
Custom meeting branding	X
Integrate with Zoom and Microsoft Teams
	X
Integrate with Zoom and Microsoft Teams		X
AI-generated minutes
X
AI-generated minutes	X
In-app virtual conferencing
X
In-app virtual conferencing	X
Engagement analytics
X
Engagement analytics	X
Secure file storage
X	X
Secure file storage	X	X
Questionnaires and assessments
X	X
Questionnaires and assessments	X	X
Granular sharing permissions
X	X
Granular sharing permissions	X	X
Legal votes
X	X
Legal votes	X	X
E-signatures
X	X
E-signatures	X	X
Board update templates
X
Board update templates	X
Company objective tracking
X
Company objective tracking	X
Task management tools
X
Task management tools	X
Sync LinkedIn connections
X
Sync LinkedIn connections	X
Automated workflows
X
Automated workflows	X
Private messaging
X	X
Private messaging	X	X
Succession planning
	X
Succession planning		X
Manage multiple boards
X
Manage multiple boards	X
Personalized onboarding
X	X
Personalized onboarding	X	X
Customer support
X	X
Customer support	X	X
Free trial
X	X
Free trial	X	X
Affordable plans for small orgs.
X
Affordable plans for small orgs.	X

For a more detailed comparison of Surfboard vs Diligent, keep reading.

Diligent is an enterprise-scale solution, while Surfboard is designed for companies of all sizes

Diligent is designed specifically for enterprise-level companies, optimizing for data security, risk management, and large-scale file sharing. Surfboard is much more agile, designed for companies of all scales, including Series A startups and small nonprofits. Because of this, Surfboard’s tools are designed to be more collaborative, helping teams work together more efficiently.

Surfboard’s plans are more affordable and include more features

As an enterprise-scale solution, Diligent comes with an enterprise-scale price tag. While this steep price includes premium services like round-the-clock support, even entry-level plans are often too pricy for startups and nonprofits with smaller budgets. Surfboard’s plans are much more affordable and every plan includes access to the entire suite of tools—no paying extra for premium features.

Surfboard’s interface is simpler and more dynamic than Diligent’s

Diligent is designed around a file and folder model, providing paperless document storage and digital board books. While this allows for easy and secure information sharing, there aren’t as many options for communication and collaboration.

Surfboard’s interface is more dynamic, offering many different options for communicating with internal team members and stakeholders. Surfboard makes it easy to compile meeting materials by auto-importing data from your workspace and integrated third-party apps. Features like custom branding and auto-generated slides help elevate the meeting experience, while asynchronous communication tools make it easy to collect feedback and questions before meetings. Plus, a host of other tools, including board and investor update templates and company objective tracking help you and your stakeholders stay coordinated between meetings.

Diligent integrates with Zoom and Microsoft Teams, while Surfboard offers in-app video conferencing

While Diligent easily integrates with Zoom and Microsoft Teams for video calls, Surfboard takes the meeting experience to the next level. In-app virtual conferencing allows you to run your meeting directly in Surfboard. This comes with additional features like auto-generated meeting transcripts plus AI-generated minutes and meeting summaries.

Diligent’s paid plan provides 24/7 support, while Surfboard has standard support options

Surfboard and Diligent both have help centers where users can find many answers without having to contact support. They both offer support via email and in-app virtual chat. Plus, both companies offer personalized onboarding so you can hit the ground running. However, Diligent’s paid plans does include 24/7 support by phone.

Surfboard or Diligent: Which should you choose?

Both Surfboard and Diligent offer useful board management tools, but Diligent is better for enterprise-scale companies with big budgets and Surfboard is ideal for smaller, more agile companies who want intuitive tools designed for collaboration.