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Sora 2 (Discontinued)

Pricing: Discontinued

Verified: Yes

Editor rating: 3.0/5

Updated: September 2026

Discontinued. OpenAI shut Sora down on 26 April 2026 and the API sunsets 24 September 2026. Here is what happened and what to use instead.

Editor's take: “Discontinued April 2026 — no longer available to any user” — Sohail Akhtar

Top Alternatives

Editor's Verdict

Official Review

Sora 2 is no longer available. OpenAI removed the Sora iOS and Android apps from the app stores in late March 2026 and shut down the web app and mobile apps entirely on 26 April 2026. The API remains in a maintenance-only state with no new keys issued and is scheduled to be decommissioned on 24 September 2026. OpenAI has announced no successor and, as of this update, has no video generation product at all. Reporting attributes the shutdown to compute cost, IP risk, and weak monetisation — video generation burns far more compute per request than text, and consumer subscription pricing never covered it. We are keeping this page because a large number of people still search for Sora and almost every result they find is either stale or an unrelated site trading on the name. If you came here to make video, the practical replacements are Kling (the most generous renewing free tier), Google Veo 3 (closest on raw quality), and Vidu (the only one generating synced audio). Note that none of them permit commercial use on a free plan.

3.0 / 5.0

Editor Rating

Reviewed by Sohail Akhtar

Lead Editor & Founder

Pros

What we like

Historically strong physics simulation — material behaviour and object interaction held up better than most rivals of its era
Handled multi-character scenes while preserving individual identities and interactions
Accepted text, image, and audio inputs rather than text alone
Set the quality benchmark that pushed Kling, Veo, and Runway forward — its influence outlived the product

Cons

Limitations

Discontinued — the web and mobile apps shut down on 26 April 2026 and cannot be accessed
The API is maintenance-only, issues no new keys, and is decommissioned on 24 September 2026
No successor or replacement has been announced by OpenAI
Numerous unaffiliated sites now use the Sora name to attract its residual search traffic — treat any site claiming to offer 'Sora 2 free' with caution
Anything built on the Sora API needs migrating before the September 2026 cut-off

Pricing

Discontinued. Not available at any price. The apps shut down on 26 April 2026 and the API is decommissioned on 24 September 2026.

What is Sora 2 (Discontinued)?

Sora 2 is discontinued and cannot be used. OpenAI pulled the Sora iOS and Android apps from the app stores in late March 2026, then shut down the web app and mobile apps on 26 April 2026. The API entered a maintenance-only phase with no new keys issued to developers, and is scheduled for decommissioning on 24 September 2026. It is no longer included with ChatGPT Plus or Pro, and OpenAI has announced no successor. See similar solutions. The reasons reported for the shutdown were compute cost, intellectual-property risk, and weak monetisation. Video generation consumes orders of magnitude more compute per request than text, and consumer subscription pricing never covered sustained per-user generation. We have kept this page live because Sora still attracts substantial search demand and most results people find are either months out of date or unaffiliated sites using the Sora name to capture that traffic. Several domains currently advertise 'Sora 2 free' access; none of them are OpenAI, and you should treat their claims and any account they ask you to create with caution Read our guide.

Read the full overview

If you arrived here looking to generate video, three tools cover what Sora did. Kling has the most generous renewing free tier at roughly 66 credits per day. Google Veo 3 is the closest on raw output quality, though full access sits behind a $249.99/month plan. See similar solutions. Vidu is the only generator producing synchronised audio and video in a single pass, and its $9.99/month plan is the cheapest tier here that grants commercial rights. One caveat applies to all of them: no major AI video generator permits commercial use of output created on a free plan. If you have an existing integration against the Sora API, plan the migration before the 24 September 2026 decommission date Read our guide.

Associated Tags

openai sora, ultra realistic video, physics accurate ai, character cameo video, audio reactive video, cinematic ai generator

Key Features

No longer available — the capabilities below are a historical record

Generated video up to 60 seconds from text, image, or audio input

Physics simulation for material behaviour and object interaction

Multi-character scenes with preserved identities

Audio-reactive generation synchronised to sound

Real Use Cases

How professionals leverage Sora 2 - OpenAI's Discontinued Text-to-Video Generator

Discover practical workflows and real-world scenarios where Sora 2 (Discontinued) delivers key solutions.

Understanding what happened to Sora and why it disappeared from ChatGPT Plus and Pro

Checking the API decommission date if you have an existing integration to migrate

Identifying which current generators replace the capabilities Sora offered

Recognising unaffiliated 'Sora' clone sites that trade on the discontinued brand

Buyer's guide

8 Best AI Video Generators in 2026: Free Tiers Compared & Ranked

Kling, Vidu, Veo 3, Runway and more — ranked on what their free plans actually allow.

Read the full comparison →

Top Alternatives

Freemium

Kling 2.6

Generates 2-minute HD videos from text prompts featuring realistic movements, natural physics, and cinematic quality rivaling Sora.

#Super Tools #Text to Video+2

View Details

Free Trial

Luma (formerly Dream Machine)

Formerly Dream Machine, now simply Luma: a multi-model creative app built on Ray 3.2, which also runs Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and ElevenLabs audio. No free plan - paid tiers start at $25/month billed yearly.

#Super Tools #Text to Video+2

View Details

Freemium

PixVerse

PixVerse turns text or a single image into short, cinematic AI video clips with camera control, synced audio, and styles from realistic to anime.

#Text to Video #Video Generators

View Details

Freemium

MiniMax Audio

Multilingual AI text-to-speech from MiniMax, strongest on Mandarin and Japanese where most Western TTS sounds synthetic. Offers a free tier and a paid commercial API.

#Music #Text to Speech+1

View Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sora 2 still available in 2026?

No. OpenAI removed the Sora apps from the app stores in late March 2026 and shut down the web and mobile apps on 26 April 2026. The API is maintenance-only and is decommissioned on 24 September 2026.

Can I get Sora 2 free?

No. There is no free tier because there is no product. Several unaffiliated websites advertise 'Sora 2 free' access — none of them are OpenAI, and you should be cautious about creating an account or entering payment details on them.

Is Sora still included with ChatGPT Plus or Pro?

No. Sora was removed from both ChatGPT Plus and Pro when the service shut down in April 2026.

Why did OpenAI shut Sora down?

Reporting points to three factors: the compute cost of video generation, which is orders of magnitude higher per request than text; intellectual-property risk; and weak monetisation, as consumer subscription pricing never covered sustained per-user generation costs.

Will Sora come back or get a successor?

OpenAI has announced no successor and no return. After the API decommission on 24 September 2026 it has no video generation product at all.

What should I use instead of Sora?

Kling has the most generous renewing free tier at roughly 66 credits per day. Google Veo 3 is closest on raw output quality. Vidu is the only one generating synchronised audio with the video and is the cheapest licensed option at $9.99/month. None of them allow commercial use of free-tier output.

I built on the Sora API — what is my deadline?

24 September 2026. The API is in maintenance-only status now, no new keys are being issued, and it is decommissioned on that date, so any integration should be migrated before then.