alt

and saw the repo of hackliberty, they say to use alpine linux

On the same page you should have noticed links to excellent articles found on privsec.dev and madaidans-insecurities.github.io; both of which advocate other distros (as well) with the former not even mentioning Alpine. As for hackliberty's usage of Alpine; I believe they stated it as their backend of choice for running their online services. So not necessarily recommended as their OS of choice on a desktop device. Though I'd love to be corrected if that's not the case.

I was also looking to stuff like openBSD

If you can deal with it, go for it. Unfortunately I couldn't give up my workflow to that degree. One has to be mindful, though, that however powerful openBSD is, one can elevate it further by using it in conjunction with Qubes OS; this guide might help you with that. Furthermore, this also makes it possible to not forego your entire workflow for the sake of openBSD.

just hardening the arch build I use rn

Also a decent choice, it might need constant tinkering and a lot of know-how to keep it splendid at all times. Though, it's definitely doable as long as you're committed and eager to improve yourself. And once again, this work doesn't have to be for naught; once more this knowledge can be used to perhaps further harden an Arch-qube.

what do you think about that?

It's always best to first define your threat model. After which it becomes clear to what degree you need further protection and what would be the best course of action to achieve that. For some, just moving from Windows/macOS to Linux is already a giant leap and might be enough for their threat model. While for others, this might not be enough as they have to be a lot more cautious to such a degree that even openBSD on a regular laptop might not be sufficient. If you just want maximum protection, then Qubes OS is surely your best bet IF you learn how to use it properly on a well-supported device; kudos if you can get your hands on one that support Heads as well. If you don't mind a mobile device, then something with GrapheneOS should suffice as well.

IMO, you seem to be very new to all of this. Being overzealous might make you a lot more susceptible to burnout. Which is something you absolutely don't want, as this is not a sprint but rather a marathon; keeping it up and going on is therefore of utmost importance and incremental change can help with that.

On LibreWolf, which I use to surf daily, I got one in 180k+.

Afterwards, I tried Tor Browser -which is honestly almost never used- and this was a lot better at one in 6k+. Though this was only in "Safer" mode, I tried testing it on "Safest" afterwards, but an update screwed it up and I somehow couldn't get it back to its standard opening size.

Interestingly, my best result I got once again on LibreWolf. This time, I changed two things:

1. Enable letterboxing
2. Disable Javascript entirely through uBlock Origin

This resulted in a one in 800+. I am interested to know how Mullvad browser users fare on Mullvad VPN.

Honestly, just test out a bunch of different distros over the course of a couple of weeks (or months even). As for which distros are worth considering for 'playtesting', that's entirely reliant on your personal 'Linux Journey' and whatever you find interesting. Though, if I'd be forced to make a list, then it would consist of the following:

1. Start off with Arch, Fedora, Linux Mint, openSUSE Tumbleweed and Ubuntu. (Debian is absent from this list because you're already using it.) You might even combine this with using different desktop environments on each; as this might have more influence on the experience than the distro itself.
2. After indulging with the 'veteran-distros', there are some different directions you could go from there. Perhaps you could try a distro that
   • doesn't use systemd; the likes of Alpine, Artix, Devuan, Gentoo, Guix and Void come to mind.
   • is 'immutable'; the likes of blendOS, EndlessOS, Fedora Silverblue/Kinoite/Sericea, Guix System, Nitrux, NixOS, openSUSE Aeon/Kalpa, Vanilla OS and Ubuntu Core Desktop come to mind.
   • takes security and/or privacy very seriously; the likes of Kicksecure, (openBSD, QubesOS (even though neither are Linux distros),) Tails and Whonix come to mind.
   • holds a conservative stance in regards to software and doesn't like to enforce change to its users. This enables you to learn the intricacies of its system once without ever having to forego that knowledge as times passes; Slackware.
   • is unrivaled in terms of freedom it allows its users; Gentoo.
   • unshackles itself from GNU; Chimera Linux and (to a lesser extent) Alpine comes to mind.

While it doesn't satisfy the "under $400"-condition, I couldn't withhold myself from mentioning the likes of NovaCustom and Tuxedo. For the fact that both have been absent from the conversation while they otherwise satisfy the requirement of coreboot on a modern device. With the former, NovaCustom, being arguably the best vendor to buy 'privacy&security'-first devices with modern hardware from. Not for their entire line -mind you- but specifically their NV41 Series; which is -to my knowledge- the only Qubes-certified computer with modern specs and Heads. However (with Qubes and Heads pre-installed) it starts at $1224, which makes it considerably more expensive that your stated target (read: under $400).

While it doesn't satisfy the "under $400"-condition, I couldn't withhold myself from mentioning the likes of NovaCustom and Tuxedo. For the fact that both have been absent from the conversation while they otherwise satisfy the requirement of coreboot on a modern device. With the former, NovaCustom, being arguably the best vendor to buy 'privacy&security'-first devices with modern hardware from. Not for their entire line -mind you- but specifically their NV41 Series; which is -to my knowledge- the only Qubes-certified computer with modern specs and Heads. However (with Qubes and Heads pre-installed) it starts at $1224, which makes it considerably more expensive that your stated target (read: under $400).