Whats a good, budget friendly servo for indoor, 1/10 2wd buggy offroad on carpet?

Thanks!!

preferably a 25 tooth

The one that fits, provide your needs and is within your budget.

What did you try to find out by your self, there are thousends of "what servo" topics on this forum beside you can find some servo based on your needs on the web.

Problem of these kind of questions you get many answers from fanboys and one time experiences.

You should probably look out for a low profile servo (even when a full size servo might fit, LP will leave you more room for the rest of your electronics) with a speed of 0.10s or quicker (60 degrees) and torque of around 10-12kg. Also note at what voltage these stats are given, as standard BEC for our cars is 6.0V, but there are ESCs that can be set to a higher BEC voltages - like 7.4V, for example - or you could hook up the servo's power wire directly to the battery - but only if the servo supports that kind of high voltage (HV). Just make sure it delivers the performance with what your electronics can deliver)

I'd also propose a servo with metal gears.

As for any particular brand... just wait a bit and the advertisement squad of a certain brand will drop in here and tell you only their favorite brand should be ever considered for anything.

Many of those posts are 5+ years old and I was hoping for something that is more recent.

Some models are even produced today after many years, as an example I still can buy the Savox 1257TG I already used for many years. But even with those "old topics" you also can get an idea which brands are popular. Not to mention there is a recent topic about Asian servo's..Also with such questions it is handy to give the info with what you could find at your LHS or you favourite online shop so people can tell you they are good.
But hey, it is always easier to let other decide for you.

Your mileage may vary, but here’s my take on it, based on my experience:

Savox, they work good for a short while and then develop quite a bit of slop and the gears failed on me quickly
Highest, had a good experience with them, solid and precise, I would recommend them. I think that A Main’s brand is mostly Highest, but I may be wrong.
KO, my favorite, all-round best feel imho, very precise and sturdy, albeit a bit pricey.
Sanwa, good but tend to get sloppy fast. Very programmable to get the feeling right, if you’re into this.
I haven’t tried Futaba for a long while so I can’t comment.

hope it helps

Martin Paradis

Since it has already been mentioned, the Savox 1257TG is run by a ton of people in 2wd buggy (though it's not rated for HV). If you want to pay about double for brushless+HV, the ProTek 155S is also popular. If you want to pay less, I've had great luck with TrackStar TS-920 servos (cheap, brushless, fast, and durable). These are all full-sized: shorty servos would be a different list.