In the "good ol' days" VPNs weren't really available, so we were left to use proxies. Proxies have so many inherent weaknesses. The big difference is VPN providers tend to lease space on tens to hundreds of POP servers. Proxies are basically a relay between you and the IP you are connecting to. The two drawbacks are two. A public proxy many times is no more than a honey pot trojan horse. Law enforcement gets an easy bust. Even as bad if it is a private paid proxy, then there is a paper trail leading right back to your doorstep.
It's 2022. stick to VPNs.