if you want recommendation for a super cheap tablet, try out the XP-PEN Star G960S : https://www.xp-pen.com/product/574.html . I got one and compared to my previous generation Intuos Pen & Touch , it's basically the same thing, only for 60 bucks instead of 200+ or whatever mine costed. XP-PEN's drivers aren't as pretty or refined as Wacom's and their pens don't have erasers on them like Wacoms, so you have to keep pressing a button to change between your pen and eraser instead of flipping the pen over, but it has the same active area, is more compact, the same amount of hotkeys, everything.

As for programs, I used Paint Tool SAI for a while and I absolutely love it. There's a really useful tool in SAI called a 'stabilizer tool' that makes it a million times easier to draw line art, and it didn't work when I tried using a mouse .