No, you can run a bitcoin node and connect other software to the node like Sparrow, Bisq or JoinMarket.

What many people do is run an Electrum server like Electrs so they can connect to Electrs with Sparrow or Electrum.

Looking into how Sparrow works would probably be the easiest way to get started. Sparrow can connect to Bitcoin core or Electrum Server I think.

There are some companies which make it easier to run a node like Start9. I have never used there product but I have heard good reviews. https://start9.com/

I like Nix-bitcoin but it is much more technical than many other projects from what I have heard.