You're absoluetly right, and thank you, I'll be using that link in my personal life.
As for VPN alternatives, as we know, not many have faced a raid by authorities like Mullvad, which does speak to the fact that they weren't collecting user data. However, that may be only a matter of time in our increasingly surveiled world -
ProtonVPN - has its own controversies (CEO may be right-wing in supporting Republicans in the US) but has stood up to legal action previously
And, while potentially biased, there is a google doc users from reddit made to compare many of the options listed here and more.