This is one of few answers that's actually helpful, thank you.
I couldn't quite understand the site you provided though, I couldn't find a download link. That could just be me being blind, I've decided to go with Windscribe because I've used it before, but I'd much rather use something else.
I'm from the US, but I've worked in freelance for most of my adult career - and have been out of work since shortly before the pandemic hit, my income is pitiful and far below minimum wage. I simply can't afford $5 a month, unless I start surviving on bread and water alone.
I dunno the proper terms, like I said I'm a bit of a noob about VPNs, but my speeds are definitely lower than they used to be, and they definitely have been getting slower. I've been told a VPN could help with that, but idk which one does that the best at my price point. (and yes, I understood before making the post that free VPNs aren't great nor private)
I tried ProtonVPN a few months ago, it worked great for a while then suddenly stopped working entirely for me. I was using it to watch geo-restricted youtube content, so I assume either my browser wasn't allowing it to change my location, or it just stopped working.