I am not technical, so I am looking for something simple enough that a gooner could use it one handed.
Based on AV-Comparatives, the latest 2025 real world protection test shows that Microsoft Defender blocked 99.1% of attacks, while Norton blocked 100%. That extra 0.9% is not enough to justify paying for Norton, at least for me.
I also have two other concerns: privacy and security.
Microsoft already has deep access to my system, my files, and a lot of what happens on my PC, including essential diagnostic data even if you turn off every optional setting. From a privacy standpoint, I already feel like Microsoft sees too much. Why would I invite Norton to the party too?
Then there is the security side. Installing Norton means giving another company extremely deep access to my system. If Norton ever gets compromised, that creates another serious point of failure. Yes, Windows itself can be hacked too, but giving two large companies full access to my files and system activity feels like doubling the risk.
For those reasons, I think Windows built in antivirus is enough. That extra 0.9% of protection is not worth the extra cost or the added privacy and security concerns.