I have been using Blokada 6 which is a subscription based VPN service. There is a decentralized service called Matrix that lets you run the Fediverse version of Discord called Element.
Element is where I heard of Mullvad and learned more about VPNs and how they work or how most of them operate.
Here is what you need to know if you want a standard VPN that just blocks ads and does the basics there are plenty out there, Blokada 6 being one of the best.
If you are truly concerned and care about your data being encrypted from point to point then there are very few of those. The benefit to Mullvad is it does just this and is tested by it's users and they are based in Sweden. There is a classification of people o like to call paranoid but those same people genuinely love Mullvad, sooooo. I gave it a shot.
The company doesn't believe in a subscription model. You pay as you want and go and can even pay for it by mail. Here is what I like. Mullvad offers a browser based on Tor that Tor trusts.
Mullvad will protect you using Open VPN or WireGaurd if you like data encryption on your network work. Not only that it will actively monitor and tell you if you have a DNS leak which is when your DNS isn't being protected properly and can potentially be seen by your network providers and others. Not only this, it works, it isn't slow, and it's encrypted all the way around.
I will be switching to Mullvad permanently once my next Blokada payment comes out.
I've used them for about a year, so far no complaints. High speed, high privacy, only a couple things have required me to turn off my vpn to access them.
Been using it exclusively for about a year. Very satisfied with the performance. It is a very no-nonsense service. They provide a VPN, anonymous payment options, and a flat rate regardless how much you buy at a time or when you buy (which is personally a big plus for me). They don't bug you to renew, and they don't offer any sort of auto-renewal. The only downside I could see is that if you are looking for a VPN provider that offers a large suite of privacy-adjacent tools labeled as a VPN app, you would be disappointed.
They can't. People really abused the option. If you read their posts, they sound like they endured it for a really long time, and were forced to disable it.