A self-hosted VPN is the most secure free way to host your Jellyfin. I’ve had to learn the hard way over the years, but all the features and control you gain for hosting services yourself comes with all the same responsibilities and risk that the provider would be taking on for you.
The money you spend on their service is the alternative to the many hours it takes to learn how to properly host your own server.
You can definitely learn how to do it and it will be difficult and confusing at times, but that’s what the community is there for. I recommend joining a Matrix server or similar so you can get more real-time feedback for when you’re just getting started.
Totally understand not wanting to take the risk, though. Just something worth considering.
A big problem with trees is roots, especially in cities with dense underground infrastructure. If there’s an actual way to produce the same amount of oxygen as a tree in a smaller space, I’m all for it. I’m honestly okay with how these look, assuming low maintenance.