The effect of neutral-gas friction on Alfvén surface waves propagating along an infinitely conducting viscous plasma–vacuum interface has been investigated. A dispersion relation is obtained for such waves. For different values of the neutral-gas friction parameter S=νc/ω (where νc is the collisional frequency between two components of the composite plasma), the variations of the real and imaginary parts kr and ki of the wavenumber k with the viscosity parameter vp= μlω/ρ01v2A1 (where μl and ρ01 are the coefficient of viscosity and the density of plasma media 1) are shown graphically. It is concluded that a three-mode structure of Alfvén surface waves results flowing to neutral-gas friction. It is suggested that our results are useful for both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas (e.g. photospheres, chromospheres and cool interstellar clouds).