I need to get set up with a solid vpn and home server

You know, a relatively cheap GLINet router can run a free tier VPN from ProtonVPN. It’s a decent start. Paying supports a move towards net neutrality.

iVPN or Mullvad

Isn't orbot good ?

Doesn’t a VPN just hide from the ISP and expose you to the VPN provider.

I think it’s better to install a VPN on a router, one paid in XMR if possible. I think device level is easily compromised with effort and intent.

Orbot is good but technically not a VPN

my recommendation is hiring a cheap but decent VPS from somewhere outside jurisdiction and installing wireguard on it if you are handy with the linux shell it's easy using this:

GitHub

GitHub - angristan/wireguard-install: WireGuard VPN installer for Linux servers

WireGuard VPN installer for Linux servers. Contribute to angristan/wireguard-install development by creating an account on GitHub.

once you set up the one on the VPS, you can add a client, and for mobile devices it conveniently generates a QR code, which the mobile WG client can quickly add a new connection with my experience is that less well known IP addresses don't get messed with so much by web server spam filtering systems probably best to use tor to establish the accounts on these sites to make sure the payment servers don't tag you - the service I use has LN support via btcpay, which is pretty much anonymous as XMR would be, for those who think XMR is the bees knees, LN over tor is actually better because it doesn't leave a permanent trace on the blockchain at all i'm not so concerned about them knowing who i am, but even still they have bogus details in their database and i'm in control of at least my part of the VPN's logging on the wireguard side

Thanks a lot for sharing this setup. Do you think it's going to work on Open BSD? It is not listed in the list of supported distributions. I'm running a Bitcoin node, pruned, on Vultr, on Open BSD, for $5 a month. I selected Open BSD for low resources needs, high security and low maintenance reasons. If I could also try my own VPN on it, it would be nice.

What's a good cheap but decent VPS provider with no KYC?

cryptoho.st is the one i use the data centre is in romania somewher, probably bucharest but geoip says it's in the middle of nowhere