There are and have been commercial products that use neon lamps as a detector. Most grind the glass down over some part to improve sensitivity, but none are as sensitive as a true GM tube.

This avalanche effect was first demonstrated in magnets by the physicist Heinrich Barkhausen in 1919. ... (involving the ions in one case and the electrons in the other) ...

Magnetic avalanche triggered by quantum effects Quantum 'Barkhausen noise' detected for first time Date: March 28, 2024 Source: California Institute of Technology ...