OpenAI has closed Sora: first the app and website, then the API, which OpenAI's deprecations page lists for shutdown on September 24, 2026. If you used it to make short clips from a text prompt or an image, these are the 9 video generators we track that do the same job, with prices taken from each vendor's own pricing page and re-checked on Oct 20, 2026, 10 PM ET.
We don't score video quality. Tools are sorted by their cheapest paid plan, and every number links to the page it came from.
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Prices last updated · 9 tools · sorted by data, not paid placement
Sora is no longer available. OpenAI says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and its API deprecations page lists September 24, 2026 as the shutdown date for the Videos API and the Sora 2 models.
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What happened to Sora
OpenAI's help center says: "The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026." and "The Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026." OpenAI's Sora page now reads: "As of April 26, 2026, the Sora product is no longer available."
For developers, OpenAI's API deprecations page says that on March 24, 2026 it notified users of the Videos API and the Sora 2 models that they would be removed on September 24, 2026. The table on that page lists 2026-09-24 as the shutdown date for the Videos API, sora-2 and sora-2-pro, and gives no recommended replacement.
Your videos: You can export content you created in Sora at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset (click Export; you get an email when it's ready). OpenAI says it will permanently delete Sora data after any final export window. Purchased ChatGPT/Sora credits can still be used for Codex, per OpenAI's help center.
Sorted by cheapest paid plan (per month, as listed), tools without a confirmed subscription price last. "Unverified" means we could not confirm the figure on the vendor's page at our latest check.
If you used the Sora API
These alternatives publish a price per second of generated video. Per-second prices aren't directly comparable: they differ by model, resolution and whether audio is included, so compare the line that matches what you generated with Sora.
Hailuo AI: MiniMax API, MiniMax-H3, 768P, 8¢ per second.
6 of these tools list a free plan or free starting credits. Pika: no monthly credits (credit packs only); Hailuo AI: one-time trial credits (Hailuo models only); LTX Studio: 800 one-time credits; Runway: 125 one-time credits; Higgsfield: limited set of models, no credits; Wan 2.2: open weights (Apache 2.0); you supply the compute. Free tiers are small; expect one-time or daily credits, and check commercial-use terms before you publish anything.
Luma AI and Google Veo have no free plan. Kling's free plan is unverified: its membership page lists paid plans only.
The cheapest Sora alternative
By cheapest paid plan with monthly billing, Kling AI Standard at $8.80/mo with monthly billing was the lowest we found (checked Oct 20, 2026, 10 PM ET).
A low entry price doesn't mean low cost per clip: plans include very different credit amounts. Our AI video generator pricing page converts each plan into seconds of video, with the math shown.
Kuaishou's video model and app, sold as monthly credit plans with a published price per 100 credits.
Free plan: unverified. Kling's membership page lists paid plans only. It mentions "Daily Free Credits for Subscribers", which is a subscriber benefit, not a free plan, so we couldn't confirm a free plan there.
Cheapest paid plan: Standard · $8.80/mo.
Kling's paid plans list "Generated content is for commercial use" and brand watermark removal.
LTX Studio, built on Lightricks' open LTX models, with storyboards and video generation.
Free: 800 one-time credits.
Cheapest paid plan: Lite · $15/mo.
LTX defines Personal Use as content for your personal social profiles and websites, excluding business and sponsored content. A commercial use license is listed from the Standard plan.
Google's video model. Google lists Oct 22, 2026 as the shutdown date for the Veo 3.1 Preview models on the Gemini API and points developers to Gemini Omni Flash instead; we haven't verified current Veo pricing.
Yes. OpenAI's help center says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and OpenAI's Sora page says "As of April 26, 2026, the Sora product is no longer available."
When did the Sora API shut down?
OpenAI's API deprecations page lists September 24, 2026 as the shutdown date for the Videos API and the sora-2 and sora-2-pro models, with no recommended replacement. Developers were notified on March 24, 2026.
Can I still download my Sora videos?
You can export content you created in Sora at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset (click Export; you get an email when it's ready). OpenAI says it will permanently delete Sora data after any final export window.
Is there a free Sora alternative?
Pika, Hailuo AI, LTX Studio, Runway, Higgsfield, and Wan 2.2 list a free plan or free starting credit. Wan 2.2 is open weights, so the model is free but you supply the GPUs.
What is the cheapest Sora alternative?
Among the tools on this page, Kling AI Standard at $8.80/mo with monthly billing had the lowest confirmed price with monthly billing.
Which Sora alternative has an API?
Hailuo AI and Runway publish per-second API prices: MiniMax-H3, 768P 8¢/s (MiniMax API) and Gen-4.5 12¢/s (Runway API).
Sources
Every price and plan fact above comes from these vendor pages, captured and checked at the times shown (ET). Read how we verify prices.
