Greetings, everyone! Thank you for all the help that I got [in my previous post] 
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I have been reading [discussions, articles, etc.] about Virtual Private Network (VPN). I wanted to ask the best use-case for VPN(s). When should one really use them [if their threat model is not too dangerous, i.e: protection from surveillance capitalism]. In more general use-cases, for instance; browsing, is “DNS-over-HTTPS” good enough?
Use a VPN if you want to obfuscate your ISP from knowing where online you go and what you do. If this is important, use a VPN. If not, encrypted DNS should be enough along with always on HTTPS in the browser.
I always recommend people to always use a VPN. No harm in doing so and it only provides benefits.
PG has great info (videos and write ups on VPNs. Once you read them, that’s pretty much should be enough for you to decide if you need or want to use it or not.
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I think PrivacyGuides’s guides on the topic are quite exhaustive and cover all the topics mentioned (VPNs, DNSes, etc). 
There is a lot to read but everything said there will only be said in a less complete manner here on the forum so start reading there and ask precisions on particular points if needed. 
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Also, the only free VPN you should be using is Proton VPN. Please do not use any other. Though I highly recommend buying the highly affordable plans they have.
Mullvad is 5 EUR per month. That’s 1 EUR per device per month. It doesn’t get more affordable than that.
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While I agree with your statement, the free plan is enough for the average user, right? Unless, your threat model is significantly dangerous, opting to buy a paid VPN plan [although, affordable] wouldn’t bring that much of a value, when compared to using the free version. Do correct me if i’m wrong, I would love to hear your thoughts about it 
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Depends if you need anything from the right side
Maybe? Only you can tell. 
Sometimes it’s also about maybe needing a specific server (hence more choice).
The devil is in the details and only you can know what is acceptable.
We can only provide resources and guidance regarding general objective topics, the subjective part is on you to decide.
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It is damn exhausting 
. Yet, finding the right combination that relates well with a person’s threat model does indeed take a lot of time, effort, and consideration. Let’s take for example’s sake; if an old grandma were to browse the Internet, and she is anxious about being spied on [she has experienced it before, but IRL]; what would be the best option for her when considering a VPN? Does she need it for the most parts, and if so; what would you have recommended?
The only thing that I would need from the right side is “Malware and ads blocker”, yet i believe uBlock Origin, and safe browsing habits can definitely soothe the annoyance [ that is to be safe from passive attacks].
Thank you for the help [again!]. I very much appreciate the suggestions, and knowledge that I do get from this forum .
I don’t think so. It is not. There are limitations even an average user would feel and not want if they truly and properly want a VPN connection where they have choice and higher bandwidth available among other features of the VPN provider.
No. You are.. wrong. Sorry.
There is a reason paid plans exist and most who know what they want and why from a VPN pay for it because that’s what you need to do to use it properly.
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No its not. Just get Mullvad VPN and you’re good. Takes a few minutes to sign up and pay for it at most.
It depends on the extent and the quality of the spying we are talking about here. If it is an average concern, then being mindful of what you do online and share online, using an ephemeral browsing set up, and a good VPN can go a long way if not all the way for such a threat model.
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Well, I understand about limitations. A user should be aware of the limitations that they face when using a free tier. Yet, if their threat model doesn’t forces them to opt for a Paid VPN subscription, then for the most parts; the user may enjoy the free tier of a VPN service whilst acknowledging the limitations that they may face?
I understand your point. That a good, paid VPN service is much more effective than the normal free tier. I apologies for my statement earlier where I dismissed the value of a paid VPN subscription. Yet, as much as i understand, and with all due respect; if the user understands their threat model is not too harmful [depends on the user], is aware of the limitations of their VPN, and has good browsing habits; than wouldn’t a normal VPN tier [from the trusted service of Proton, or others] be enough for their day - to - day lives?
Sure. If you truly don’t need any features and are okay with the free version of Proton VPN. By all means you can use it. You get the same VPN protection in terms of quality.
It can be. Like I said, if it still works for you, great. I generally think its still too limiting but if you can make it work, then by all means use it. Many people do.
I only advocate for paying for it because the difference between paid and free is far more than just the price/cost of the paid version - to me at least.
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Sorry for that. 
Take it easy then: one small step now like a free Proton VPN account is a very good one.
Once you’re used to it and have a bit more courage/time, consider maybe going a bit deeper into the topic and checking how your needs fit in there. Don’t invest too much money initially.
Will save you some mental sanity and financial savings haha.
Should make any grandma happy given the low initial effort. 
Yes it is a good start from a per-device use case.
You can also consider using a DNS-blocker if you want it upstream (on your router for example).
Might be true but not a general one for everybody.
If they do have the resources why not go with IVPN/Mullvad yes.
You can anonymously for those, especially via the proxystore if in EU.
Mullvad’s DNSes are also quite nice and granular + their apps works well on every OS[1].
If you can pull the trigger on it, it’s quite a good recommendation yes.
Otherwise IVPN with some other DNS setup is also cool. Summoning the remaining DNS guru aka @Blackbird that will talk with some Hagezi Pro++ setup left and right as usual haha.
Here is the original good recommendation to layer on top of a nice reputable and privacy-respectful VPN: What do you think about OpenSnitch? - #10 by Blackbird
Overall it depends on what you want to do on your network as a whole.
and are not giving a subpar experience on Linux or less popular devices ↩︎
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Thank you
Glad we made an extra grandma happy today!
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just remember that VPNS shifts trust from your ISP alongside the good advice on @anon80329175 therefore you have to trust that ProtonVPN, IVPN & Mullvad do not log traffic otherwise you might be better off with your ISP (which, with especially mullvad they have proven it fortunately, nord was also court proven with their no log policy but of course it is not something I would recommend people use especially with how heavy their marketing is)
as also @kissu said and I will say, do consider adding layers of adblocking, that includes system wide base dns filtering and things like brave shields or ublock origin for further blocking (eg. Your DNS is not able to see discord.com/science but your adblocker will)
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