Consumers are being misled by antivirus software vendors when it comes to the cost of renewing their solutions, according to RenewalBuddy.com, a new Antivirus and Internet Security price comparison website.

Computer users, unaware that they could reduce the cost of their renewal software if they simply shopped around a little, are more inclined to click on the pop-up message they receive on an annual basis from their security software vendor, and just type in their credit card details.

“Over a lifetime, the average customer would save over £1240 if they looked for a more reasonably priced renewal,” said Graham O’Reilly, CEO of RenewalBuddy.com. O’Reilly continues, “anti-virus software vendors don’t want customers to know this, but a renewal license is exactly the same as a new one – so there is no reason not to compare prices.”

RenewalBuddy.com shows customers the cheapest prices available to renew their existing anti-virus or security software products, but in addition will present customers with an even better offer if they move to a different product.

In the past customers have been cautious about changing their security software owing to reported compatibility problems, but according to RenewalBuddy.com, this is no longer an issue.

“There is no need to go through the laborious process of uninstalling the old anti-virus software anymore,” continued O’Reilly. Most vendors have an auto-uninstaller which will seamlessly remove the old software so that new solution works.”

RenewalBuddy.com is very easy to use. It asks for brief details about a customer’s existing software before delivering the cheapest price on the market, and a switch offer from another popular brand. The company employs an expert search team to monitor the software market – selecting only trusted retailers – and finds the best possible prices. The security team selects only the most secure, proven software in the industry to ensure customers are given the best possible switch offer.