Security software is almost always sold as a subscription that renews by itself, and the price on the box is rarely the price you pay in year two. To put numbers on that gap, the NerdBible editorial desk read the vendors' own pricing pages, checkout pages and terms for every product on our antivirus and password manager rankings: TotalAV, Norton, Bitdefender, Avast and Avira, then RoboForm, NordPass, Keeper, 1Password and Dashlane. The short version: among the 16 plans that state a renewal price, the median increase after the first year is about 55%, and in antivirus alone it is 83%.
How we did it
For each vendor we took two annual plans: the entry plan (the cheapest paid annual plan on the vendor's own US page) and the main multi-device or family plan. For each plan we recorded:
- First-year price: what the vendor's US page or checkout asked for one year, read on 5 October.
- Renewal price: only where the vendor states a figure, on the pricing page, at checkout or in its terms or FAQ. A struck-through "regular" price counts only when the page says it is what you pay after the first term.
- Increase: renewal price minus first-year price, as a percentage of the first-year price, rounded to the nearest whole percent.
- Auto-renewal and refund window: as stated by the vendor.
All prices are in US dollars and exclude sales tax, which several checkouts add on top (NordPass's checkout added 6.5% for the default US state, and Bitdefender labels its prices "plus applicable sales tax"). We used no stored or third-party prices: every figure below comes from the vendor page linked in the table. We did not buy anything, enter payment details or wait for a renewal to arrive, so this is what vendors say they will charge, not a record of charges. Where a vendor publishes no renewal figure, the table says "Not published" and the text says where we looked.
Antivirus: first year and renewal
All five antivirus vendors sell these plans as automatically renewing subscriptions. Norton says subscriptions "automatically renew unless the renewal is canceled before billing" and that annual renewals can be billed up to 35 days before the renewal date. Avira's pages carry the same wording. Bitdefender's FAQ says renewal applies if you enrolled at purchase, and its terms say the first-year price is followed by "the applicable renewal price which may be higher than the initial purchase price". TotalAV's checkout spells it out in one sentence: "I agree to pay $99 today for the first year... I will be charged $99 for the next year and annually thereafter until I cancel."
Password managers: first year and renewal
Four of the five password managers say their plans renew automatically: RoboForm, NordPass and Dashlane at checkout, 1Password in its terms of service. Keeper's pricing page does not say, and its checkout asked for an email address before showing any order terms. 1Password's 14-day free trial and Dashlane's 14-day Premium trial are separate from the paid first year.
What we found
The median renewal increase is about 55%
Across the 16 plans with a published renewal figure, the median increase is roughly 55%. The split by category is wide. The ten antivirus plans have a median increase of 83%; the six password manager plans have a median of 33%. Four plans (both TotalAV plans and both RoboForm plans) charge the same in year two as in year one.
The largest jump: Norton 360 Deluxe
Norton 360 Deluxe shows the biggest percentage and dollar rise in the study: $49.99 for the first year, then a stated renewal price of $124.99, an increase of $75 or 150%. Avira Antivirus Pro for one device is close behind in percentage terms: its checkout showed $26.99 for the first year and "Automatically renews at $64.99 / Year", up 141%. Norton AntiVirus Plus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus both double at renewal.
Cheap first years are where the jumps are
The plans with the lowest first-year prices tend to have the largest increases. The two vendors with no increase, TotalAV and RoboForm, simply charge their standard price from day one: TotalAV's subscription pricing matrix lists the same $99, $129 and $149 annual renewal rates as its first-year prices, and its checkout states the $99 and $149 renewals in the purchase agreement, and RoboForm's checkout states that it renews at "the regular price then in effect (currently $29.88/year)". So a 0% increase is not the same as the cheapest second year: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus renews at $49.99, half of TotalAV's $99.
Who publishes renewal prices clearly
- On the pricing page itself: Norton ("Savings compared to the renewal price of $124.99/year"), Avast ("Savings compared to renewal price $77.99/year"), Bitdefender (an "Old price" that its terms say marks the gap between first-term and renewal prices) and 1Password (its FAQ gives the regular prices and says the promotion covers the first year only).
- At checkout or on a separate page: NordPass states "The renewal price is $35.88/year" at checkout; Avira's checkout, run by its reseller Cleverbridge, shows the renewal next to the first-year price; RoboForm states it at checkout and TotalAV in its pricing matrix and checkout. Avira's product pages carry a list of renewal prices, but it showed only "loading..." when we read it.
- Not published as a figure: Dashlane showed $64.99 for a year of Premium with "Renews automatically" at checkout and no renewal figure; its terms say subscriptions renew "at the rates then in effect" and that Dashlane will inform you at least 30 days before renewal. Keeper's pricing page lists $42.99 and $91.99 "billed annually" with no renewal figure, its checkout asked for an email before showing an order, and we found no renewal price in its terms of use. Neither shows a first-year discount, so the renewal may well be the same price, but neither says so.
Refund windows are generous, with two exceptions
Norton and Avira offer 60 days on annual plans; the other antivirus vendors, RoboForm, NordPass and Dashlane offer 30. Two password managers are different. 1Password's terms of service say amounts paid are non-refundable and that refund requests "may be considered... on a case-by-case basis". Keeper's pricing page states no refund window, and its legal page describes subscription fees as "nonrefundable and considered earned on receipt".
What readers can do
- Read the renewal price before you buy. If the page shows a struck-through price, check whether the small print calls it the renewal price. Where no renewal figure is stated, assume the vendor can charge its then-current rate.
- Put the renewal date in your calendar. Norton and Avira say annual renewals can be billed up to 35 days early, and RoboForm renews 14 days before the end of the term, so set the reminder well ahead of the anniversary.
- Know your refund window for renewals too. Avast's refund policy makes each later annual charge eligible for a full refund within 30 days of being charged, Dashlane refunds annual subscriptions within 30 days of the start or renewal, Norton gives 60 days on annual payments, and Avira offers a pro-rated refund on annual renewal payments.
- Turn off auto-renewal only after checking what it costs you. Nine of the ten vendors describe cancelling renewal from your online account (Keeper's pricing page does not say), but Avast warns that some benefits tied to automatic renewal may no longer be available once you stop it.
- Compare year two, not year one. Over two years, Norton 360 Deluxe costs $174.98 at the stated prices and Bitdefender Total Security $169.98, while TotalAV Total Security costs $298. A low renewal can beat a low first year, and the reverse.
- Check whether a free tier is enough. Avast and RoboForm both list free plans on the same pages, which cost nothing to renew.
Limits of this study
- Prices were read once, on 5 October, from a US connection. Vendors change offers often, and some price by location, so you may see different figures.
- We read the vendor's direct US store only. Prices through app stores, retailers or partner links can differ; 1Password says its promotion applies only when you subscribe directly through 1Password.com.
- A stated renewal price is what the vendor says today. Norton, Avira, NordPass and others say renewal prices are subject to change with notice.
- The Avast 10-device figures come from the vendor's own store page as served, not from a checkout; the other first-year prices were confirmed on a product page or a checkout.
- Two-year and monthly plans were left out. NordPass, for example, defaults to a two-year plan billed as $37.53 for the first 27 months, which this table does not compare.
- Plans are not like for like: device counts, users and features differ, so the percentage increase is a measure of pricing practice, not of value.
