14 questions answered. Every answer sourced.
Sora AI: What Happened, How to Export Your Videos and the Best Alternatives
Sora was OpenAI's text-to-video model and social video app. It is gone now: the app and website closed in April 2026 and the API followed in September. If you still have videos there, or a workflow that depended on it, here is what you need to know and where to go next.
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Facts checked against official announcements and documentation, October 2026 · Last updated October 2026
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01 · Status
Is Sora still available?
No. Here are the dates and what they mean.
Is Sora shut down?
Yes. OpenAI's help centre confirms the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API was discontinued on September 24, 2026. There is no paid plan or region where Sora still runs.
Source: OpenAI Help: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
What was Sora?
Sora was OpenAI's text-to-video model, first previewed on February 15, 2024. It generated short clips from written prompts or still images, and the later Sora 2 models added synchronized sound, more accurate physics and a social app with a TikTok-style feed of AI videos. Developers could also call it through OpenAI's Videos API.
Source: Wikipedia: Sora (text-to-video model); NBC News: OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video-creation app
Why did OpenAI shut down Sora?
OpenAI's help article does not give a detailed reason. Reporting after the March 24, 2026 announcement pointed to cost and focus: Sora's worldwide users reportedly peaked at around a million before falling below 500,000, while the service cost an estimated $1 million a day to run, and Reuters reported the move as a way to sharpen focus on enterprise products such as ChatGPT Work and Codex.
Source: Wikipedia: Sora (text-to-video model); MindStudio: Why OpenAI killed Sora and what it means for AI video; NBC News: OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video-creation app
Will Sora come back?
OpenAI has not announced a replacement video product. Watch OpenAI's model release notes for any change; until then, plan your video work around other providers.
Source: OpenAI Help: Model release notes
02 · Your content
Exporting videos, credits and refunds
Do this now; the data will not be kept.
How do I download my Sora videos?
Go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset while signed in to the same OpenAI account and click Export. OpenAI emails you when the archive is ready. If OpenAI offers a final export window, it says it will notify you by email before it starts. Export as soon as you can.
Source: OpenAI Help: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
What happens to my Sora data?
After Sora is discontinued and any final export window has passed, OpenAI says it will permanently delete all data associated with your use of Sora. Videos you did not export will be lost.
Source: OpenAI Help: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
What happens to Sora credits I paid for?
Purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can still be used for Codex. For subscription refunds, OpenAI points to its standard ChatGPT refund process in the help centre.
Source: OpenAI Help: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
I built an app on the Sora API. What do I do?
Since September 24, 2026, calls to the Videos API and every Sora 2 model, including sora-2, sora-2-pro and their dated snapshots, fail, and OpenAI listed no replacement model. Remove those calls, move to another provider's video API, and build in a fallback model plus alerts for deprecations, since Google also retired its Veo 3.1 preview model IDs in the Gemini API in October 2026.
Source: Spheron: Sora 2 API shutdown, what breaks on September 24, 2026; Kingy AI: Sora API shutdown September 24, export and alternatives; Shattered: Best AI video generators after the Sora shutdown (2026)
03 · Timeline
Sora from launch to shutdown
Just over two years from first preview to the last API call.
When did Sora come out?
OpenAI previewed Sora on February 15, 2024 with clips up to a minute long, then released it to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users in the US and Canada on December 9, 2024. Sora 2 and a standalone iOS app followed on September 30, 2025, with an Android app about two months later.
What happened with Disney and Sora?
In December 2025 Disney announced a three-year deal to bring many of its characters to Sora, alongside a $1 billion investment in OpenAI. When OpenAI said it was closing Sora on March 24, 2026, reports said the deal would not move forward.
Source: Wikipedia: Sora (text-to-video model); NBC News: OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video-creation app
When was the Sora shutdown announced?
On March 24, 2026, when the Sora account posted on X that OpenAI was saying goodbye to Sora. The same day OpenAI notified developers that the Videos API and all Sora 2 model aliases and snapshots would be removed from the API on September 24, 2026. The app closed first, on April 26, 2026.
Source: NBC News: OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video-creation app; Spheron: Sora 2 API shutdown, what breaks on September 24, 2026
04 · Alternatives
The best Sora alternatives
Where Sora users moved, and what each is best at.
What is the best alternative to Sora?
Google's Veo 3.1 is the most common choice for polished clips with synchronized audio, and Google has been moving developers to newer Gemini Omni video models. Kling 4.0 handles longer multi-shot takes of around 30 seconds, and Wan 3.0 is a cheap option for drafts. Aggregator apps let you try several of these models under one subscription.
Source: Shattered: Best AI video generators after the Sora shutdown (2026); Reddit r/SoraAi: OpenAI shutting down Sora, best alternatives
Can ChatGPT still make videos?
Not with Sora. ChatGPT can still create images with OpenAI's image models, and it can write scripts, storyboards and prompts that you then use in a dedicated video generator.
Source: OpenAI Help: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
Do my old Sora prompts still work elsewhere?
Mostly. Describing subject, action, setting, camera movement, lighting and style works in Veo, Kling and Wan too, though each model has its own strengths and length limits. Our Sora prompts collection and prompt generator still produce useful video prompts for these tools.
Source: Shattered: Best AI video generators after the Sora shutdown (2026)
Sources
Read and checked October 2026. Policies change, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the source page.
- OpenAI Help: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
- Wikipedia: Sora (text-to-video model)
- NBC News: OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video-creation app
- MindStudio: Why OpenAI killed Sora and what it means for AI video
- OpenAI Help: Model release notes
- Spheron: Sora 2 API shutdown, what breaks on September 24, 2026
- Kingy AI: Sora API shutdown September 24, export and alternatives
- Shattered: Best AI video generators after the Sora shutdown (2026)
- Reddit r/SoraAi: OpenAI shutting down Sora, best alternatives