Sora
OpenAI's discontinued AI video generator. The app shut down on April 26, 2026 and the API will shut down on September 24, 2026. Was built into ChatGPT with text to video, storyboard, remix, blend, and synchronized audio.
What it is
Sora has been shut down. On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced it was discontinuing Sora entirely, just 15 months after its public launch. The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026. The shutdown came after OpenAI executives said at an all hands meeting that the company is refocusing on business and productivity applications rather than being "distracted by side quests." Disney, which invested $1 billion in OpenAI partly for a Sora partnership bringing Disney characters to the platform, ended that deal. Users can still export their content at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, and any purchased Sora credits can be repurposed for Codex. Before the shutdown, Sora was accessible inside ChatGPT and at sora.com, offering text to video, image to video, storyboard, remix, blend, and synchronized audio generation. Competitors like Veo (Google), Hailuo (MiniMax), and Seedance (ByteDance) remain active alternatives.
Who it is for
Understanding Sora's capabilities and limitations before OpenAI shuts it down entirely
Existing ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscribers who want to use their remaining Sora access while it lasts
Researchers and journalists tracking the AI video generation landscape and OpenAI's strategic pivot
Anyone evaluating alternatives now that Sora is confirmed to be discontinued (see Veo, Hailuo, Seedance)
Pros and cons
Pros
- +Was bundled into ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) and Pro (from $100/mo), requiring no separate subscription
- +Produced some of the most physically realistic AI video available, with accurate object interactions
- +Storyboard feature provided fine grained control over video segments, timing, and camera movements
- +Sora 2 generated synchronized audio alongside video, including dialogue and sound effects
- +Supported up to 20 second videos on Pro, longer than most competitors per generation
Cons
- −Discontinued: the Sora app shut down on April 26, 2026, and the API will shut down on September 24, 2026
- −Users must export their content via sora.chatgpt.com/sunset before data is permanently deleted after the final export window closes
- −Disney ended its $1 billion partnership with OpenAI that was partly built around Sora, signaling loss of major ecosystem support
- −No free tier was available; required at least ChatGPT Plus at $20/mo, and the earlier free tier had been removed
- −Pro tier (from $100/mo) was expensive for users who primarily wanted video generation
- −OpenAI's strategic pivot toward business and productivity tools suggests video generation is not a priority for the company going forward
Pricing
- No Sora access
- No video generation
- Free tier previously available but removed
- 1,000 Sora credits per month (roughly 25 clips at 720p, 5s each)
- Up to 720p resolution
- Up to 5 second clips
- Watermarks on output
- 10,000 Sora credits per month (plus unlimited relaxed generations)
- Up to 1080p HD resolution
- Up to 20 second clips
Prices change; check the official pricing →