The LEDs are much much brighter but they also are a little more concentrated as you can see by the bright spots in the pic I posted. When you see them in person its not as blatant but there still is a little bit of a brighter line directly where they are aimed. They are pretty much tiny pinpoints of light that are diffused by their lenses and tubes while, with neons, the entire tube lights up uniformly but not as brightly.
So what I'm trying to say is that LEDs are brighter, more durable, and can be found for just as much, if not less, than a neon kit plus you can make them flash in the different patterns if that appeals to you at all.