I did have to use Paypal recently to pay for HBO Max, because they would not accept debit cards for whatever reason, and I lost my patience with their support. You are right, the Paypal app is really bad.
You should give Wise and/or Revolut a try. The apps are way better, and probably one of the best features both have is virtual cards (Revolut has also a one-time card that is automatically destroyed after use). Note that you also get physical cards with both.
I think Revolut has a few more features that Wise lacks, like travel and device insurance, but for the financial part, the features are nearly identical. Also, currency exchange rates are way better than traditional banks.