Sora
closedOpenAI shut down Sora: web and apps were disabled 26.04.2026, the Sora 2 API sunsets 24.09.2026. (help.openai.com, snapshot 19.08.2026)
OpenAI's video generator, shut down in 2026: what to replace it with.
Archive: what Sora could do - official OpenAI video, September 2025
26.04.2026
Web and apps shut down
24.09.2026
API shutdown · OpenAI deprecation page
7 mo
Sora app lifespan: 09/30/2025 – 04/26/2026
$0.10/sec
sora-2 API — active for its final weeks
Don't look for a way to access Sora: the product is gone for good. Only the API is surviving until 09/24/2026, for those who already have it integrated. Everyone else should go straight to "what to replace it with": Veo 3.1, Runway, or Kandinsky 5.0 from Russia with no workarounds.
Sora is a video generator by OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. Write a prompt and get a short video with sound. In fall 2025, the Sora app soared to the top of the App Store charts: a TikTok-like feed where every video was generated. Seven months later, OpenAI shut down the product - here is the full story and current replacements.
Where Sora stood on the big AI map
Nearby: Kling·Veo / Flow·Runway·Kandinsky·+ more 6
1. What happened
On 03/24/2026, OpenAI announced Sora's shutdown - six months after the app launched and three months after its $1 billion deal with Disney. Its public farewell was a single sentence of thanks; the substantive explanation was the reallocation of computing resources to core areas.
Everything after that went according to schedule. On 04/26/2026, the web and mobile apps were shut down in all countries; until that date, users were offered the option to export their videos. The API will be turned off on 09/24/2026: the sora-2 and sora-2-pro models are being removed from the documentation with no replacement specified. Video generation in ChatGPT was removed entirely; image generation remains.
The team was transferred, not disbanded. OpenAI continues world-simulation research for robotics. Head of the division Bill Peebles left the company in April 2026.
2. Timeline
From the model's public reveal to the API's complete shutdown: two years and seven months. The standalone app lasted less than seven.
15.02
OpenAI publicly shows Sora: demo videos, no public access.
30.10
Monetization begins: sales of additional generations; Sora head Bill Peebles publicly calls the product economics "completely unsustainable."
11.12
Partnership with Disney: $1 billion in investments and 200+ licensed characters.
24.03
Shutdown announcement: Sam Altman informs employees, developers receive a Videos API deprecation notice.
26.04
Web and mobile apps shut down in all countries; until this date, users were offered the option to export their videos.
24.09
Scheduled API shutdown: sora-2 and sora-2-pro models are removed, with no replacement specified in the documentation.
3. What it could do
Everything below is in the past tense. The list is here to clarify what exactly needs replacing.
Video from a prompt. Short videos lasting seconds or tens of seconds from a text description; it could animate a still image and work from a reference.
Synchronized sound. Speech, ambient sounds, and effects in Sora 2 were its main distinguishing feature at launch: competitors generated silent video at the time.
Cameos. Insert yourself into a generated scene using a verified sample of your appearance and voice - the app's signature feature.
Feed and remixes. The app worked like a social network: a feed of generated videos and remixes of others' videos.
API for developers. Per-second pricing, resolutions up to 1080×1920 - the only part of the product surviving until 09/24/2026.
4. What to replace it with
The choice is simple: for sound and quality, use Veo 3.1; for editing control, use Runway; from Russia with ruble payments, use Kandinsky 5.0. Nothing replaces Sora itself: there is no successor.
| tool | niche | price · 08/19/2026 | from Russia |
|---|---|---|---|
 Google Veo 3.1 | closest alternative: generation with sound, 720p–4K | from $0.05 to $0.60 per second depending on version (Gemini API) | requires an account and payment outside Russia |
 Runway Gen-4.5 | production control: storyboards, camera, lip sync, 4K | Free 125 credits · Standard $15/mo · Pro $35/mo | an international card is required |
 Kling 3.0 | cinematic visuals, many short videos | subscription-based (prices on the vendor's site) | email registration, payment with a foreign card |
| Kandinsky 5.0 (Sber) | 5-second videos from a prompt or image | access via fusionbrain.ai and GigaChat | works from Russia, Russian card, no workarounds |
Runway includes access to third-party models, including Kling, in its plans. The previous generation, Veo 3, was shut down on 06/30/2026 - only version 3.1 is active.
Foreign alternatives require payment outside Russia: how to pay for AI services from Russia - a separate page with working options. We covered Kling in a full card: /tools/kling.
5. Why it was shut down
The official reason was focus: computing resources went to coding, enterprise customers, and the product around ChatGPT, while video remained a research area.
The economics did not add up. According to The Wall Street Journal, maintaining the product cost about $1 million a day, while in-app purchases brought in about $2 million over the app's entire lifetime. As early as October 2025, Sora's head called the product's economics "completely unsustainable."
According to media reports, its audience fell by half after peaking at around one million users, compounded by copyright and deepfake issues. Disney, according to the same reports, learned about the shutdown less than an hour before the announcement.
6. Frequently asked questions
Is Sora completely shut down?+
Yes. The web and apps were shut down on 04/26/2026 in all countries, and the API will be turned off on 09/24/2026. OpenAI has not named a successor: the replacement field on the deprecation page is blank.
Can I still use Sora?+
Only via the API, and only until 09/24/2026: sora-2 costs $0.10 per second of video, sora-2-pro starts at $0.30. You need an OpenAI account in a supported country; Russia is not on the list.
What happened to my videos?+
Until 04/26/2026, OpenAI offered users the option to export their content. An additional export window was not guaranteed; data is subject to deletion.
Why did OpenAI shut down Sora?+
Officially, it reallocated computing resources to core areas; the team moved to world-simulation research for robotics. According to The Wall Street Journal, maintaining the product cost about $1 million a day, while the app made only a few million in revenue over its lifetime.
What can replace Sora today?+
The closest alternative with sound is Google Veo 3.1. Need editing control? Runway. From Russia with no workarounds? Sber's Kandinsky 5.0 (fusionbrain.ai or GigaChat).
Useful reading before you start