Sora

Sora was OpenAI’s AI video generation model, capable of producing cinematic-quality video clips up to one minute long from text prompts, still images, or existing video footage. When it launched publicly in December 2024, it represented a significant leap over earlier video AI tools — matching or exceeding Runway, Kling, and Luma Dream Machine on photorealism and temporal coherence.

Sora was integrated directly into ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscriptions, with Plus users getting access at reduced resolution and Pro users ($200/month) unlocking 1080p output and longer generation times. A dedicated web app at sora.com provided a storyboard interface, gallery of example generations, and remixing tools. A second generation (Sora 2) launched to select users in September 2025, with an API made available to developers at $0.10–$0.70 per second of video.

On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced it was shutting down Sora. The consumer app at sora.com was discontinued on April 26, 2026. The developer API is scheduled to shut down September 24, 2026. Reports attributed the decision to unsustainable compute costs (estimated at approximately $1 million per day to operate), declining user numbers (peak of around one million before falling below 500,000), and a strategic shift toward OpenAI’s core enterprise products.

If you’re looking for alternatives: Runway Gen-3 and Kling AI offer granular professional editing controls. Luma Dream Machine remains accessible with a free tier. Pika Labs focuses on short-form social video. As of mid-2026, these tools have largely absorbed former Sora users following the shutdown.