Sora

Yes, Sora is shut down: OpenAI discontinued the Sora app and website on Apr 26, 2026 and the Sora API on Sep 24, 2026, and named no replacement video model. Sora was OpenAI's text-to-video model, first shown in February 2024, sold to ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro users from Dec 9, 2024, and relaunched as Sora 2 with a social app on Sep 30, 2025. OpenAI announced the shutdown on Mar 24, 2026, tying it to compute priorities and moving the Sora research team to world simulation research for robotics (CBS News). As of Nov 6, 2026, OpenAI makes still images and GIFs in ChatGPT Images but no video; for video, readers now use other makers' tools, compared on Sora vs Veo.

Quick facts

What was Sora?

2:03 OpenAI introduced Sora as a model that could "generate videos up to a minute long" from a text prompt, at first only for red teamers and selected artists, designers and filmmakers (OpenAI). OpenAI later called that original model "the GPT-1 moment for video" (OpenAI).

Sora as a product (Dec 9, 2024)

On Dec 9, 2024 OpenAI released "Sora Turbo", faster than the February preview, as a standalone product at sora.com for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers (OpenAI):

• Videos up to 1080p and 20 seconds, in widescreen, vertical or square, with a storyboard tool and Featured and Recent feeds.
• Plus included up to 50 videos a month at 480p, or fewer at 720p; Pro got 10 times more usage, higher resolutions and longer videos.
• Not included with Team, Enterprise or Edu, not for anyone under 18, and not available in the UK, Switzerland or the European Economic Area.
• Every video carried C2PA metadata and a visible watermark by default.

Sora 2 and the Sora app (Sep 30, 2025)

0:29 Sora 2 added synchronized dialogue and sound effects and came with an invite-only social iOS app, first in the US and Canada, with a feed, remixing and "cameos" of verified people, later renamed "characters". An Android app followed in November 2025, and OpenAI and Disney agreed a licensing deal on Dec 11, 2025. The details, limits and controversies are on Sora 2.

Sora in the API

The Sora 2 video API launched at OpenAI's DevDay on Oct 6, 2025. Before its shutdown sora-2 cost $0.10 a second, and sora-2-pro $0.30 to $0.70 a second depending on resolution (OpenAI). A Mar 12, 2026 update added characters, longer videos, 1080p, extensions and a video edits endpoint (OpenAI). OpenAI listed the Videos API and every Sora 2 model for shutdown on Mar 24, 2026, and they stopped on Sep 24, 2026, with no replacement listed (OpenAI).

Why did Sora shut down?

OpenAI gave few reasons. Its first message on X, as TechCrunch quoted it, said only "We're saying goodbye to the Sora app" (TechCrunch). A spokesperson told CBS News the company would discontinue Sora "in the consumer app and API", tied the decision to compute priorities and said the team would turn to world simulation research for robotics; CBS also cited the Wall Street Journal on Sora's declining popularity (CBS News). TechCrunch reported app-tracker Appfigures' estimates: a peak of about 3.3 million downloads in November 2025, about 1.1 million in February 2026, and about $2.1 million in lifetime in-app purchases. Sam Altman had written earlier that people were generating much more video per user than OpenAI expected and that it would "have to somehow make money for video generation" (Sam Altman). The Disney deal collapsed with the shutdown, and TechCrunch reported that no money appears to have changed hands.

What to use instead of Sora

• For images and short animations from OpenAI: ChatGPT Images (Images 2.6, Nov 4, 2026), which can also make animated GIFs, the closest thing OpenAI still offers (OpenAI).
• For video from other makers: Google's Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni, Runway and Kling, among others; Sora vs Veo compares them fairly with sources.
• Leftover credits: OpenAI says purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits "can still be used for Codex" (OpenAI Help Center); see ChatGPT Credits.

What testers found

0:54 In an Aug 12, 2026 video comparing the $20 plans of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, Parker Prompts said there is "no longer a video button anywhere in ChatGPT Plus" since OpenAI shut down the consumer Sora, and gave the video round to Gemini, which makes video with Google's Veo.

0:49 Paul J Lipsky reached the same result in his own 2026 comparison of the three $20 plans: "ChatGPT doesn't have video generation anymore", he said, so Gemini was the only one of the three that made video.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sora shut down? Yes. OpenAI discontinued the Sora app and website on Apr 26, 2026 and the Sora API on Sep 24, 2026, with no replacement video model.

Why was Sora discontinued? OpenAI tied the decision to compute priorities and moved the Sora research team to world simulation research for robotics, according to CBS News. CBS News also cited reporting on declining popularity, and app-tracker estimates showed downloads falling after a November 2025 peak.

Can I still download my Sora videos? OpenAI's help article says to export from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset by choosing Export, and that after any final export window it will permanently delete data from your Sora use. Whether the export window is still open on a given day is shown only on that page.

Does ChatGPT make videos now? No OpenAI page read on Nov 6, 2026 shows video generation in ChatGPT. ChatGPT Images can make still images and animated GIFs.

What happened to my Sora credits? OpenAI says purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can still be used for Codex.

When did Sora come out? OpenAI first showed Sora in February 2024 and released it to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users at sora.com on Dec 9, 2024. Sora 2 and the Sora app followed on Sep 30, 2025.

Sources

• What to know about the Sora discontinuation, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Sora, OpenAI, read Nov 6, 2026
• Sora is here, OpenAI, Dec 9, 2024
• Sora 2 is here, OpenAI, Sep 30, 2025
• Sora update #1, Sam Altman, read Nov 6, 2026
• OpenAI's Sora was the creepiest app on your phone. Now it's shutting down, TechCrunch, Mar 24, 2026
• OpenAI discontinues Sora, CBS News, Mar 24, 2026
• sora-2, OpenAI API docs, read Nov 6, 2026
• API changelog, OpenAI, read Nov 6, 2026
• Deprecations, OpenAI, read Nov 6, 2026
• Introducing Images 2.6, OpenAI, Nov 4, 2026
• Introducing Sora 2, OpenAI, Sep 30, 2025 (video)
• ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: Which $20 AI Plan Is Worth It?, Parker Prompts, Aug 12, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro vs Gemini Pro: The Best $20 AI Plan, Paul J Lipsky, Jun 7, 2026 (video)