Sora is gone. OpenAI shut down the Sora app and website on April 26, 2026 and the Sora API on September 24, 2026, and said its research team would move to world simulation for robotics. You can still export your videos from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset until any final export window closes, after which OpenAI deletes the data. For new work, Google's Veo 3.1 is the closest replacement, from $0.05 a second on the Gemini API, while Kling 3.0 and Wan 3.0 cost less for longer clips.
Reviewed by EdGrows·Updated Sep 26, 2026This analysis is based on documentation, public user reports, and vendor materials — not yet on our own hands-on testing. How we rate
Sora was the model that made AI video mainstream. OpenAI's first demos in February 2024 set the bar every competitor measured against, and Sora 2, launched on September 30, 2025 with synchronized sound and a TikTok-style app, went to the top of the App Store and reached a million downloads faster than ChatGPT had.
Then OpenAI walked away from it. On March 24, 2026 it announced that Sora would be discontinued, and it did so in two steps:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| February 15, 2024 | OpenAI shows Sora for the first time |
| December 9, 2024 | Sora released to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers |
| September 30, 2025 | Sora 2 and the standalone Sora app launch |
| December 11, 2025 | Disney and OpenAI announce a three-year character deal and a $1 billion investment |
| March 24, 2026 | OpenAI announces Sora will be discontinued |
| April 26, 2026 | The Sora app and website close |
| September 24, 2026 | The Sora API closes |
OpenAI's stated reason was focus: a spokesperson told Axios the Sora team would concentrate on world simulation research to advance robotics. The surrounding reporting pointed to softer numbers as well. TechCrunch reported that app downloads had fallen by about 45% by January, and the shutdown ended the Disney agreement, with reports saying Disney heard about the decision less than an hour before the announcement.
For users, the practical result is simple. sora.com now shows a single line saying Sora is no longer available, with an export button, and the API that resellers relied on stopped working on September 24. Higgsfield, for example, removed Sora 2 from its platform after that date.
OpenAI's discontinuation notice on September 25, 2026.
If you made anything in Sora you want to keep, export it now:
OpenAI says it will email users before any final export window begins, and that once that window has passed it will permanently delete all data associated with Sora. There is no promised date, so waiting is a gamble.
OpenAI handles refund requests through its normal ChatGPT subscription refund process rather than a Sora-specific one. Credits you bought for ChatGPT or Sora do not disappear: OpenAI says they can be used for Codex, its coding agent, which is only useful if you write software.
Sora 2's strengths were cinematic realism, sound generated with the picture, convincing physics and cameos, which put you or your friends into generated scenes. Every serious alternative now covers the first three to some degree, so the choice comes down to four questions:
| If you used Sora for | Try | Why | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinematic realism with sound | Veo 3.1 | Closest big-lab model, native audio, 4K on the API | $0.05 a second on the Gemini API, or Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month |
| Long single takes | Wan AI 3.0 | Up to 30 seconds with sound in one generation | $0.10 a second at 720p, or $5 a month yearly on create.wan.video |
| Realistic motion on a budget | Kling AI 3.0 | Strong physics and native audio | About $0.10 a second at 1080p on yearly Pro, 66 free credits a day |
| Realistic faces | Hailuo AI | MiniMax H3, 2K clips with stereo sound | $10.50 a month |
| Free social clips | PixVerse | 60 free credits every day | Free |
| Many models in one workspace | Runway or Luma AI | Several models, editing tools, one bill | $12 a month yearly on Runway, $25 on Luma |
For most former Sora users, Veo 3.1 is the natural first stop: it is the other big-lab model with native sound, and many people already have access through a Google AI subscription. If cost or clip length matters more than brand, Kling and Wan go further per dollar. The full comparison is in the best AI video generators of 2026.
The Sora API closed on September 24, 2026, so any integration still calling it is failing. The replacements with published per-second pricing:
Budget for retries whichever you choose: every provider bills failed creative takes, and only some refund technical failures.
No. OpenAI discontinued the Sora app and website on April 26, 2026 and the Sora API on September 24, 2026. Visiting sora.com now shows only a notice that Sora is no longer available and a button to export your data. Platforms that resold Sora 2 through the API have removed it too.
Go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export; OpenAI emails you when the archive is ready. OpenAI says it will email users before any final export window begins, and that after that window it will permanently delete all data associated with Sora. It recommends exporting as soon as possible.
OpenAI told Axios that the Sora team would focus on world simulation research to advance robotics. Reporting at the time added context: after a record launch in late 2025, app downloads had fallen by about 45% by January, according to TechCrunch, and the shutdown ended a Disney agreement announced in December 2025.
OpenAI's help center sends refund questions to its standard ChatGPT subscription refund process. It also says that any ChatGPT or Sora credits you bought can still be used for Codex, OpenAI's coding agent, if you choose.
For cinematic realism with native sound, Google's Veo 3.1 is the closest match: $0.05 to $0.60 a second on the Gemini API, or Flow credits with Google AI plans from $4.99 a month. Wan 3.0 makes single takes of up to 30 seconds from $0.10 a second at 720p, and Kling 3.0 costs about $0.10 a second at 1080p on a yearly plan.
OpenAI first showed Sora in February 2024 and released it to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers in December 2024. Sora 2 and the standalone Sora app followed on September 30, 2025. OpenAI announced the shutdown on March 24, 2026, closed the app a month later and kept the API running until September 24.
Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year agreement on December 11, 2025 that would have let Sora users generate short videos with more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters, alongside a $1 billion Disney equity investment in OpenAI. The Sora shutdown ended it; reports said Disney learned of the decision less than an hour before it was announced.
The closest drop-in options are Google's Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni Flash on the Gemini API, Alibaba's Wan 3.0 on Alibaba Cloud, and Kling through API providers. Multi-model gateways such as Hedra's API and the Pika API Club offer many models behind one key if you want to compare before committing.
AI video generator with 60 free credits a day: fast, affordable short-form video for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
AI Edit turns raw talking-head footage into a finished social video; credits pay for generation, and they roll over up to 3x.
Luma's Ray models, Veo, Kling and Seedance in one credit pool, now run by creative agents that plan the work for you.