Beginner Software alternatives for speaking person animation

I’m quickly realizing that UE might not be right for my needs. Maybe I can can someone to shed some light. I’m basically interested in having highly realistic characters do monologues. As such, the animation would be driven by the audio that’s already been made. While I would love to be able to get in very detailed with their looks, their clothes, and their movement- I basically just want a character in a room who does nothing but move a little and talk. Is it worth learning UE in order to do something this simple? Or are there other more beginner friendly platforms (using Mac) that can do this nearly as well.