I feel like every time I've tested NoScript it breaks a ton of sites and I disable it.
Yes it does. That means it's doing its job.
You can train NoScript on sites you don't want to break and then export/import those settings to other machines. After a while you get used to the pattern of permanently or temporarily giving permissions to new sites, but your regular sites work just fine. Instead of turning it off completely, open sites you don't want broken in Incognito mode or another browser.
Newer versions of FireFox and Chrome have a NoScript type function built in. You can deny JavaScript and other scripting on a site-by-site basis, but it's easier to use NoScript/ScriptSafe in my experience. That's the way to remain secure on the Interwebs, and even the browser manufacturers know it.