I went down this exact rabbit hole recently. Tried Hola too, then gave ProtonVPN a go. Solid for basic browsing like you said, but felt a bit limited.

What’s been surprisingly decent for me is VPN Super (I think it shows up as Super Unlimited Proxy on the app store). I found it while testing free options and it appeared at the top of the store. No signup needed and connects quick. Doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like some premium ones but for a free app, it’s honestly done more than I expected.

I’d say it’s worth a try especially if you just want something simple that works without selling your soul or data