Why did my antivirus renewal price double?
Measured on September 8, 2026: how much the second year costs
Across the 9 vendors that print a renewal price next to the first-year price, the second year costs 64.3% more on average; the median increase is 58.9%. McAfee+ (+200%), Norton 360 Deluxe (+150%) at least double the price. The widest gap is McAfee+: $49.99 in year one, $149.99 from year two.
TotalAV and F-Secure Total renew at the first-year price. G Data Total Security renews lower (-30%), as its page prints it. 5 vendors (ESET HOME Security, Trend Micro Maximum Security, Aura, LifeLock, Webroot Essentials) publish no renewal price at all, which is the case where the second year surprises most people.
Figures from the vendors’ own pages, read September 8, 2026, in the currency each vendor bills in. Every vendor with its source link is in the Renewal Price Index; the entry prices per month are in the Price Index.
The short answer
Your renewal is so high because most of the antivirus industry sells the first year at a promotional discount and renews at full list price. How much higher differs per vendor; the increases as printed on the vendors’ own pages, with the date each was read, are in the block at the top of this page and in the Renewal Price Index on this site.
It is legal and disclosed in the fine print. The fix is to turn off auto-renewal immediately after buying, then either renegotiate, switch brands, or rebuy as a new customer at the promo price.
In detail
The price you paid for the first year was never the real price. It was customer acquisition. Most brands renew at a list price well above it for the same product, and because auto-renewal is on by default and the charge happens before the email warning sinks in, many people pay the high price for years. Which brands double the price and which renew at or below the first-year price changes with each reading of their pages; the block at the top of this page names them as of the date shown, and the Renewal Price Index carries every vendor with its source.
This is worth saying clearly. The practice is legal, and regulators have mostly required clearer disclosure rather than banning it. The FTC has pushed companies toward easier cancellation flows, but the discount-then-renew model remains the industry standard. Treat it like insurance or broadband. The sticker price is for new customers only.
Your playbook starts the day you buy any antivirus. Open the account settings and disable auto-renewal (you keep your protection for the full term). Set a calendar reminder one week before expiry. Then choose: call support and ask for the new-customer price (often granted), switch to a competitor at their first-year price, or simply buy the same product again through a new cart. Loyalty is the most expensive option in this market.