What is Sora? OpenAI shutdown dates, export and alternatives
Quick answer
Sora is OpenAI's discontinued consumer video product and the name used for its video-generation model family. The Sora app and web experience ended April 26, 2026. OpenAI says the separate Sora API had a published discontinuation date of September 24, 2026. Existing users should export their content now; new users should choose an available video model instead of following old Sora signup or pricing guides. Status checked September 13, 2026 against OpenAI's shutdown guidance.
Sora's current status at a glance
Sora name | What it meant | Current status | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
OpenAI's original text-, image- and video-conditioned video research | Historical model page remains; consumer product is unavailable | Use it as historical context, not an access guide | |
Consumer creation, remix and social experience | Discontinued April 26, 2026 | Export old content; do not follow signup tutorials | |
Later video-and-audio model used in the discontinued app | No current consumer app access | Compare an available model for new work | |
Developer access separate from the consumer app | OpenAI published September 24, 2026 as its discontinuation date | Migrate integrations to a supported API |
A red ceramic mug sits on a wooden café table beside a window. Steam rises slowly while the camera makes a gentle push-in. Soft morning light, realistic materials, one continuous shot, no people or readable text.
Create a new AI video
Describe a scene or start from an image, choose an available video model, and review a short result before building the full sequence.
Try Text to VideoWhat did Sora do?
OpenAI's original Sora page describes a model that could generate video from text, animate a still image, and extend or fill frames in an existing video. Later consumer releases added a dedicated interface for prompting, storyboards, remixing, reference media and exports. Sora 2 added synchronized dialogue and sound effects inside the later app experience.
Those are historical capabilities. A model demonstration, old pricing table or archived tutorial does not prove that a current OpenAI product still offers the same workflow. The model, consumer app and API were separate access layers with separate shutdown states.
Is Sora still available?
The consumer Sora app and web experience are no longer available. OpenAI lists September 24, 2026 as the Sora API discontinuation date, so do not assume an existing API integration still runs after that date. Do not begin a new production dependency on an endpoint with a published shutdown date.
How to export existing Sora content
- Open sora.chatgpt.com/sunset while signed in to the account that used Sora.
- Select Export and wait for OpenAI's email indicating the archive is ready.
- Download the archive promptly and verify that the expected outputs are present.
- Save prompts, source images, project notes, aspect ratios and any editing decisions alongside the exported files.
- Inventory any API integration, credentials, request fields, stored job IDs and downstream dependencies after the published September 24, 2026 discontinuation date.
OpenAI recommends exporting as soon as possible and says Sora data will be permanently deleted after discontinuation and any final export window. Start at the official Sora export page rather than a third-party download tool.
What should API users migrate?
Treat the model call and the surrounding workflow as separate migration work. Preserve the source prompt and media, then document authentication, request schema, durations, aspect ratios, audio behavior, safety errors, asynchronous job states, output URLs and retention. A replacement that accepts a prompt is not automatically a drop-in API substitute.
Run a small set of representative jobs through the replacement before changing production traffic. Compare accepted outputs, retries, total cost, latency, moderation behavior and downstream editing effort. Keep the old integration available for rollback only if OpenAI explicitly confirms that endpoint remains available for your account.
What should you use for new videos?
Choose by input and deliverable. Use text-to-video for a new scene, image-to-video when a still image must guide the first frame or subject, and an editor when the source footage already exists. Our text-to-video tool comparison separates raw generation from presenter and script-to-video platforms.
For a Sora-specific migration shortlist, see the Sora alternatives guide. For a broader model and platform decision, use the AI video-generator comparison. Judge any replacement on a short real project; no current tool should be described as an exact Sora clone without evidence from the job you need to complete.
Frequently asked questions
OpenAI presents Sora as a product and model name, not as a documented acronym. Expansions invented by third-party pages should not be treated as official definitions.
Historically, some Sora access and credits were connected to ChatGPT plans. The dedicated Sora consumer app and web experience have now been discontinued, so an old ChatGPT subscription comparison is not a current access guide.
There is no current consumer Sora product to join for free. Historical free limits and subscription allocations describe earlier access. For historical API billing, use the actual account and API billing records rather than an old consumer-plan table.
The consumer app and web workflow have ended. An existing API integration may remain available until the announced September 24, 2026 shutdown, but it is a migration route rather than a sensible new dependency. Use an available model for new projects.
OpenAI says data associated with Sora use will be permanently deleted after discontinuation and any final export window it can offer. Request the official export now and verify the downloaded archive.
