Mullvad remains the gold standard for privacy and anonymity.

Check this post: https://lemmy.ml/post/37366040

Mullvad.

Mullvad is what I use and I am very happy with them.

Proton VPN has a free plan with barely any restrictions.

Fines for streaming and not seeding ?

If you just want to stream, you could always use real debrid (or similar sevice) and Kodi. It also offers downloads through its service as well if you ever need it.

How long is "long term"? https://fastestvpn.com/ has a $40 lifetime plan, so that's probably the best value (assuming they stay around, but they've been around for a few years now).

Windscribe custom plan or pro if you can lock any good offer (I got 29$/year last year).

I got surfshark for 2 years and gave it to all my relatives, it as unlimited machines.

If you want a free vpn, the only option is proton vpn. Personally I would recommend using proton vpn the paid version toom get a year subscription for black friday deal.