Microsoft UniLM
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The first 20 minutes of any recording are transcribed free: a recording up to 20 minutes transcribes in full, a longer one is previewed, and a pack from $6 (500 minutes) transcribes the rest and opens every export, and credits never expire.
Home of WavLM, HuBERT++, Speech-T5, BEATs, VALL-E.
Best for pulling SOTA speech encoder pretrains from Microsoft. Pricing: free.
What it is
Microsoft's foundation-models monorepo with several speech research releases. MIT.
Watch out for: Mixed licenses per sub-project — some research-only.
Install / use
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/unilmWhat people actually do with Microsoft UniLM-style transcription
The tool is the means. These are the jobs — each one priced at published rates, each one wired up on its own page.
Features
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | Yes |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | 99 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Links
Microsoft UniLM vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Microsoft UniLM | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open source | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free | $6–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · first 20 minutes free |
| Speaker identification | No | Named in the summary, key quotes and chapters |
| Word timestamps | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming | No | No |
| Languages | 99 | 99 |
| Platforms | Linux | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Microsoft UniLM
Frequently asked about Microsoft UniLM
Is Microsoft UniLM free?
Yes. Microsoft UniLM is free and open source.
Does Microsoft UniLM work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Microsoft UniLM runs on Linux. It is not listed for other platforms; check the vendor for anything beyond Linux.
How do I install Microsoft UniLM?
Clone and run it from source: `git clone https://github.com/microsoft/unilm`. Expect to install its dependencies yourself — the README has the exact steps per OS.
How many languages does Microsoft UniLM support?
Microsoft UniLM lists 99 languages. That is the Whisper-family multilingual set, so quality varies by language — English and the large European languages are strongest.
Does Microsoft UniLM identify different speakers?
No. Microsoft UniLM does not label speakers; a conversation comes back as one continuous text. If you need speaker labels, that is a separate tool or a different service.
Does Microsoft UniLM give word-level timestamps?
Yes — Microsoft UniLM produces timing per word, which is what subtitle cues and clip boundaries need.
Can Microsoft UniLM transcribe live audio?
No — Microsoft UniLM works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is Microsoft UniLM HIPAA compliant?
Microsoft UniLM does not claim HIPAA compliance. For PHI, run it on infrastructure you control or choose a service that will sign a BAA.
What are the limitations of Microsoft UniLM?
Mixed licenses per sub-project — some research-only.
Who is Microsoft UniLM best for?
Pulling SOTA speech encoder pretrains from Microsoft.
Does Microsoft UniLM run offline?
Microsoft UniLM runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use Microsoft UniLM in the browser?
No — Microsoft UniLM is a Linux application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Where is the Microsoft UniLM source code?
On GitHub at github.com/microsoft/unilm.
What kind of tool is Microsoft UniLM?
In this directory Microsoft UniLM is filed under foundation, research, microsoft as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft UniLM?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/microsoft-unilm-alternatives comparing Microsoft UniLM with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
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