either you run a node, or someone else does it for you

what features are you looking for?

The definition of 'node' is a little vague. I also consider bip158 ('neutrino') clients to be nodes, since they can independently verify their own transactions. But they don't really engage in stuff like forwarding unconfirmed transactions. You can also run bitcoin core in pruned mode. In that case you drop block data that is irrelevant to you after verifying it, but other than that, you interact with the network in the same way that a full node would.

Comparing the effects on scanning for silent payments, with and without labels, using Dana. (These are one-off measurements, don't take them too seriously)

I suppose a more accurate description would be 'pseudonymous', then? If you think of a silent payment address as a pseudonym for payments then these pitfalls are a lot more obvious.

a low fee environment is pretty great for playing around with silent payments, all things considered