RetiredLifecycle

Sora web and app
Took effect April 26, 2026
OpenAI states the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on this date, and that content can be exported from the sunset page until the export window closes.
Source ↗
Sora API
Took effect September 24, 2026
OpenAI removed the Videos API and the Sora 2 model snapshots from the API on this date; its deprecations page now lists them under past deprecations. This fact is about the API only, not about any third-party surface.
Source ↗

Sora

Web and app discontinued on 26 April 2026; the API was removed on 24 September 2026.

by OpenAI

Overview

Sora was OpenAI's video model, previewed in February 2024 and opened to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers in the United States and Canada that December. Its later versions generated clips from a prompt with synchronized audio, and it could extend, re-cut and remix its own output, animate a still image, and lay several shots out in sequence with a storyboard view.

The web and app experiences were discontinued on 26 April 2026, and OpenAI removed the Videos API and the Sora 2 model snapshots from the API on 24 September 2026. The entry is kept for reference: OpenAI's discontinuation notice is the page to read for exporting content and for what happens to stored data.

Editor's take

The web and app experiences ended on 26 April 2026 and the API was removed on 24 September 2026, so this is not a product to start a new project on. The page stays because the shutdown carries instructions people still need - how to export content, and when stored data is deleted - and because older comparisons point here.

Our reading of who this suits, based on the sources above. Opinion, offered to help you decide - not a lab result.

Direct comparisons

Key Features

Text-to-video, with synchronized audio added in later versions
Motion generated from a text prompt
Remix, re-cut and extend existing clips
Animating a still image into a clip
Storyboard tools for multi-shot sequences
The web and mobile apps, before they were discontinued on 26 April 2026

Pros

✓Later versions generated video with synchronized audio, added after launch
✓Remix, re-cut and storyboard tools inside the same product
✓Ran in the browser and in mobile apps before the 26 April 2026 shutdown

Cons

✕The web and app experiences were discontinued on 26 April 2026
✕The Sora API and the Sora 2 model snapshots were removed on 24 September 2026
✕OpenAI states stored data will be deleted after any final export window

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sora still available?

That depends on which surface. The Sora web and app experiences are gone: OpenAI discontinued them on 26 April 2026. The API is gone too: OpenAI removed the Videos API and the Sora 2 model snapshots on 24 September 2026.

What happens to my Sora content?

OpenAI's notice describes exporting content from its sunset page and says remaining data will be permanently deleted once any final export window passes. Read that notice rather than this summary for the deadlines that apply to you.

Did Sora generate audio?

Yes. Synchronized audio arrived with later versions: the model generated video first, and audio was added afterwards, so the early clips had none.

What can I use instead?

The alternatives list on this page names entries in the same category that are still available. We have not tested them, so treat the choice as yours.

Task guides for this product

T2 · Check Sora and DALL·E 3 generation access

Key facts and where they come from

PriceNot established: Current purchasable pricing is not established for this retired entry. The registered records describe closed or retired surfaces; no historical price is presented as a current offer.Source: OpenAI Help Center - Sora discontinuation · OpenAI API - Deprecations
AvailabilityDocumented: The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026. The Sora 2/Videos API entry records removal on 24 September 2026. It does not establish access, prices or a generation result on 23 September; the removed API is not presented as a currently purchasable service.Source: OpenAI Help Center - Sora discontinuation · OpenAI API - Deprecations
Commercial useNot established: Historical permission and applicable conditions for the user to use outputs commercially were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.
Training on your dataNot established: Historical training use of the account’s inputs/outputs and applicable opt-out conditions were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.
API billingDocumented: The Sora 2/Videos API entry records removal on 24 September 2026. It does not establish access, prices or a generation result on 23 September; the removed API is not presented as a currently purchasable service.Source: OpenAI API - Deprecations
Export formatsNot established: Historical specific downloadable output file formats and applicable surface/plan boundaries were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.
Usage limitsNot established: Historical numeric task allowances and applicable reset/carryover rules were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.

Official sources

The vendor pages we read for the claims on this page, what each one states, and the day we read it.

OpenAI Help Center - Sora discontinuation ↗
The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026.
Read on September 23, 2026
OpenAI API - Deprecations ↗
Historical registered scope from 2026-10-10; the entire statement was not re-read on 2026-10-15: Under "Past deprecations > 2026-03-24: Sora 2 video generation models and Videos API", the Videos API and the sora-2, sora-2-pro, sora-2-2025-10-06, sora-2-2025-12-08 and sora-2-pro-2025-10-06 snapshots are listed as removed from the API on September 24, 2026. Official body read on 2026-10-15, limited to this scope: The dated DALL·E entry records API removal on May 12, 2026. The Sora 2/Videos API entry records removal on September 24, 2026; this does not establish the September 23 access, price or generation result. The Sora 2/Videos API entry records removal on 24 September 2026. It does not establish access, prices or a generation result on 23 September; the removed API is not presented as a currently purchasable service.
Read on October 15, 2026

What to use instead

Entries in the same category that are still available, with what each one costs and when it launched. We have not tested them.

What to use instead

Product	Maker	Pricing	Launched	Shared tags
Veo	Google DeepMind	Freemium	2024-05	Video, Text-to-video
Luma Dream Machine	Luma AI	Freemium	2024-06-12	Video
Kling AI	Kuaishou	Freemium	2024-06-10	Video
Hailuo AI	MiniMax	Freemium	2024-03	Video
Higgsfield	Higgsfield	Freemium	2023-11	Video
HeyGen	HeyGen	Freemium	2022-09	Video

Compare with other tools in Video Generation

Product	Maker	Pricing	Launched	Shared tags
Veo	Google DeepMind	Freemium	2024-05	Video, Text-to-video
Luma Dream Machine	Luma AI	Freemium	2024-06-12	Video
Kling AI	Kuaishou	Freemium	2024-06-10	Video
Hailuo AI	MiniMax	Freemium	2024-03	Video
Higgsfield	Higgsfield	Freemium	2023-11	Video
HeyGen	HeyGen	Freemium	2022-09	Video

RetiredLifecycle

Sora

Overview

Editor's take

Direct comparisons

Key Features

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sora still available?

What happens to my Sora content?

Did Sora generate audio?

What can I use instead?

Task guides for this product

Key facts and where they come from

Official sources

Tags

Public signals

Basic Info

Related Products

More from OpenAI

What to use instead

What to use instead

Compare with other tools in Video Generation