My go-to Windows antivirus is the free yet well-performing AVG (also a regular recommendation by PC Mag).
I think the main reason why people use Norton is because they pay a lot of money to have it preinstalled by OEMs. Then it pops up alerts warning unsuspecting people, who don't know a lot about computers, that the trial subscription is expired, to get people to pay them. Seems incredibly dishonest, and I wonder why their business model doesn't allow for people who know what they are doing to pay them?
I would never pay for a program that does exactly the same thing (and just as well) as something that is free.
Also worth noting is that Norton is well-known for requiring exorbitant amounts of RAM. It consumes more system resources than any other AV, in my experience and from what I've heard.
But the bottom line is, it isn't your AV that protects you at the end of the day -- it is your Internet IQ.