It is unfair to straight up compare Volksgrenadiers to Conscripts or Grenadiers.
OKW has been designed with worse support weapons, so Volksgrenadiers are meant to be able to fight better independently than their counterparts. They are meant to be slightly more cost effective than other infantry.
Conscripts and especially Grenadiers however, are designed to be supplemented by support weapons.
Worse support weapons? Is the mg34 (which is given no matter tech path, unlike Soviet and usf) suddenly worse than the maxim now? If conscripts are to be supported by team weapons why is it possible to tech up without access to them when it's not possible to do the same for OKW? They are "forced" access to both an AT gun and an MG. Seems weird that with all the similarities between volks and cons (snare, sand bags, flame nade area denial) that the one that is supposed to be independent has guaranteed access to 2/3 support weapons and the one that is supposed to be supported can bypass them entirely.
Volks are strong because they were an easy solution to literally any and all problems with okw design, not because of any design decision to shape them that way.
They need a price increase at the very least. Especially when compared to Conscripts who they will eat with no mercy at all points of the game for a negligible 10mp more. The favoritism over flashy okw and the Soviet is even more apparent when you look at their upgrades.... - ah you built your first truck, here, go burn that building out! Oh that truck is placed? Take a Faust and some stgs and that hmg34 there and be on your Mery way...
Vs
"you need more men to be useful!?! You will wait until we don't need men to research your entire tech structure! Upgrades? Who needs upgrades when you have strong Soviet backs? No no you are thinking of a different communist models, you will need to BUY your upgrades. We don't have the economy of late war Germany that we can hand them out just because you showed up... "
Designed to be independent..... Sheesh.
Edit:even though I went off about cons... This thread is about rifles, which also show the design issue in volks as rifles TRUELY were designed to be independent. You pay more per squad, and don't even get the luxury of having everything you could ever want handed to you when you tech to your first building. A TRUELY independent squad that could full well lack any MG support due to inaccessibility instead of "why spend that on an MG when another volks squad would be better in every way?"
Volks are a better design for the way rifles were supposed to be than rifles were.... Cheap, durable, no extra costs, utility, strong enough that elites are a bonus not a requirement (even though stock line up contains not one but 2 expensive high impact squads....)
Volks are independent because they can be, not because they need to be. They have all they need to be supported except the necessity. Enemy garrison? Volks. Need cover? Volks. Keep the threat of snare on the front? Volks. Assault a position? Volks.
Can you apply the PROPERLY independent infantry to that? Garrisons? Here's a mortar cause you can't possibly tackle that with just your 280mp rifles.... Cover? RE can build tank traps. Snare? Are you vetted? Assault a position? Pick a tech delaying side grade. Raw firepower that you need to go to base for or an explosive the enemy could dodge?