Sora API Discontinued: What to Do Now and Alternatives

OpenAI switched off the Sora API on September 24, 2026. That was the last piece of Sora still running. The app closed earlier in the year, and now developers who built video features on top of it have nothing left to call.

If you made videos in Sora and want to keep them, or you run software that used the Sora API, here is what happened, what you should do next, and what people are using instead.

Quick Answer

• The Sora API shut down on September 24, 2026. The Sora app closed on April 26, 2026
• OpenAI announced the shutdown on March 24, 2026, giving six months of notice for the API
• Requests to the Videos API and the Sora model names now fail
• OpenAI’s deprecation notice names no replacement model
• If you have videos in the Sora app, export them at the Sora sunset page. OpenAI says it will permanently delete Sora data
• Several other AI video models are now used as alternatives. Test them with your own prompts before switching

What Exactly Shut Down and When

Sora 2 launched in late September 2025, and its app climbed to the top of the app store charts. But interest faded quickly. Reporting at the time said app downloads had dropped by 45% by January. OpenAI said its Sora research team would keep working on world simulation research aimed at robotics, but the video product itself is over.

If You Made Videos in the Sora App: Save Them

OpenAI says Sora data will be permanently deleted after the shutdown, and it recommends exporting your content as soon as possible. Here is how:

1. Go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset
2. Click Export
3. Wait for the email telling you the export is ready, then download it

OpenAI’s help page also says that if it offers a final export window, it will notify you by email before it begins. Because that page was last updated weeks ago, check it and your email today. If your export is not saved, do it now.

Two other points from OpenAI:

• Refunds: Questions about ChatGPT subscription refunds follow OpenAI’s normal refund process
• Credits: Purchased credits that were used for Sora can still be used for Codex

If You Are a Developer: What Breaks

Anything that calls the Videos API or uses the model names sora-2, sora-2-pro, or their dated versions will now return errors. OpenAI’s deprecation page lists no successor model, so you need to choose a new provider yourself.

Here is a simple migration plan:

1. Find every place your code or tools call the Sora API
2. Pick two or three candidate models and run about ten of your real prompts through each
3. Compare the results against clips you already made with Sora
4. Check the small differences. Providers do not share one standard. Duration may need to be a number instead of text, the audio option may have a different name, resolution labels may be written differently, and the maximum clip length varies
5. Add error handling so your product shows a clear message instead of crashing if a video model is unavailable
6. Avoid depending on one provider. A tool that can pull the plug with six months of notice is a risk

What Are People Using Instead

There is no single official replacement. One analysis published on September 13 looked at a public leaderboard where people vote on video clips from the same prompt without knowing which model made them. The models near the top at that time included Wan 3.0, Gemini Omni Flash, and MiniMax H3 (including its Max version). Kling 3.0 Pro and Google’s Veo 3.1 also appeared on the list. Sora 2 did not make the top 12.

Treat this list with care. The analysis came from a company that sells its own video service, and crowd votes reflect one site’s prompts. A model that ranks high may not suit your kind of video. Prices and features also change often.

When you compare options, check these things:

• Motion and realism on the kind of scenes you make
• How well it follows your prompt
• Audio. Some models generate sound, others do not
• Clip length and resolution limits
• Price per second of video
• Commercial use terms, if you are making videos for clients
• Content labels. If it matters to you that videos carry proof of AI origin, check whether the model adds them

If you want a broader view of AI tools you can try, see our list of free AI tools and what each does.

Be Careful With “Sora” Websites

Now that the official API is off, any website or app still advertising Sora video generation deserves suspicion. Some cheap “Sora access” services were unofficial workarounds even before the shutdown, and the official service can no longer power them. Do not pay for anything that claims to be Sora without checking that it is still working.

Will Sora Come Back

OpenAI has not announced any plan to bring it back. It said its research work on world simulation continues. If OpenAI releases a new video product, it will probably arrive under a new name or inside another product.

Why This Matters Beyond Sora

The Sora shutdown is a reminder about building on AI products. Features that look permanent can disappear on a set date. If your work depends on an AI tool, keep your own copies of what you create, and keep your prompts and settings written down so you can move to another tool quickly. This is also why price and model choice matter, as we explained in our Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions