Sora API Alternatives in 2026: What to Migrate To Before September 24
OpenAI shut the Sora web and mobile apps on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API follows on September 24, 2026. If your product calls sora-2, it needs a new model. Here is what each replacement costs per second, read off the vendor pages on September 18.
Built a video product on the Sora API? Once it runs on its new model, list it — free.
List my app — free →Quick Answer
Best Sora API replacement by what you need to keep:
- Same price, same synced audio: Veo 3.1 Fast — $0.10 a second at 720p, exactly sora-2's rate
- Lower cost per clip: Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.05/s, or Wan 2.5 on fal at $0.05/s
- You add your own audio: Kling 3.0 silent at $0.084/s
- You were on sora-2-pro ($0.30/s): Veo 3.1 Fast at 4K is also $0.30/s, or Veo 3.1 Standard at $0.40/s
- You never want to do this migration again: Runway's API — a dozen models behind one key
What OpenAI Actually Shut Down, and When
OpenAI's help-center notice gives two dates. The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026 — that is the consumer product, the one that was bundled with ChatGPT Plus and Pro. The Sora API is discontinued on September 24, 2026. Those are separate audiences: the first was people making videos, the second is developers whose products make videos for other people.
Until then the API model page still lists sora-2 at $0.10 per second and sora-2-pro at $0.30 per second, at 720x1280 or 1280x720, text and image in, video and audio out — and marks the sora-2-2025-12-08 snapshot deprecated. The free API tier was never supported. For the apps, OpenAI says content can be exported from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, will be deleted after any final export window, and that leftover ChatGPT/Sora credits can be spent on Codex instead.
So the job for a developer is narrow: find a model at roughly $0.10 a second with audio, and move the integration before the 24th. Everything on this list clears the first half of that.
The 5 Video APIs Worth Migrating To
Google Veo 3.1 (Gemini API)
Closest Like-for-LikeThe closest like-for-like swap: same $0.10 a second as Sora 2, with audio
Best for: Teams that were on sora-2 and want the same price point with synced audio and no quality step down
✓ Strengths
- •Veo 3.1 Fast is priced exactly where sora-2 was — $0.10 a second at 720p — and the price includes audio
- •Veo 3.1 Lite halves that to $0.05 a second for drafts, previews and high-volume jobs
- •1080p and 4K tiers, where sora-2 topped out at 1280x720
- •Google states you are only charged when a video is actually generated
✗ Limitations
- •No free tier for Veo on the Gemini API — paid tier only
- •Lite has no 4K output
- •Standard at $0.40 a second is 4x sora-2 — pick Fast unless you have measured that you need it
Gemini Omni Flash (Gemini API)
Google's newer generate-and-edit video model, at an effective ~$0.10 a second
Best for: Products that edit or restyle existing video, not just generate from a prompt
✓ Strengths
- •Generation and editing in one model — video input is accepted, where sora-2 took text and image only
- •Generally available on the paid tier of the Gemini API
- •Same key, billing and SDK as Veo, so you can route by job type without a second vendor
✗ Limitations
- •Token-based billing is harder to quote to your own customers than a flat per-second rate
- •Not available on the free tier
- •Google does not state audio output on the pricing line — check before you swap an audio-dependent flow
Kling 3.0 API
Cheapest Silent OutputCheaper than sora-2 without audio, with native audio priced as its own line
Best for: Apps that add their own soundtrack or voiceover and only need the picture
✓ Strengths
- •$0.084 a second silent at 720p undercuts sora-2 by 16%
- •Avatar at $0.056/s and lip sync, motion control and effects on the same prepaid balance
- •4K is priced ($0.42/s) rather than enterprise-only
- •Video-input (edit) pricing is published, not quoted on request
✗ Limitations
- •Prepaid packages, not pure pay-as-you-go
- •Native audio adds about 50% to the per-second rate
- •The prices shown are list; volume pricing is through sales
Runway API
One key, a dozen video models — so the next shutdown is a config change
Best for: Teams that were burned by one model going away and want to stop being exposed to that
✓ Strengths
- •Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models — Veo, Seedance, Hailuo, Wan, Grok Imagine, Gemini Omni Flash — behind one API
- •A Model Router that picks the model and reports which one it used and the realized cost
- •ProRes and HDR output formats on Gen-4.5 for pipelines that composite
- •Swapping models is a parameter, not a new integration
✗ Limitations
- •Third-party models can cost more than going direct: Veo 3.1 Fast with audio is $0.15/s here against $0.10/s on the Gemini API
- •Seedance 2 at 720p is 36 credits ($0.36/s) — not the cheap path
- •Prepaid credits, bought per organization
fal
Pay-per-output hosting for the open and Chinese video models
Best for: High-volume, cost-sensitive generation where the newest flagship is not the requirement
✓ Strengths
- •Pure pay-per-output — no prepaid package
- •Wan 2.5 at $0.05/s is half of sora-2's price
- •Also sells raw GPU time (H100 from $1.89/h) if you later self-host an open model
✗ Limitations
- •The headline table lists older model versions — check the current model page for the one you need
- •Veo 3 costs $0.40/s here, 4x Veo 3.1 Fast direct from Google
- •An aggregator adds a dependency between you and the model vendor
sora-2 vs the Replacements: Key Differences
| Aspect | Sora API | Best Replacement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per second, 720p | $0.10 (sora-2), $0.30 (sora-2-pro) | Veo 3.1 Lite — $0.05 | Wan 2.5 on fal is also $0.05/s |
| Same price, with audio | $0.10/s, synced audio | Veo 3.1 Fast — $0.10/s with audio | The one drop-in on price and audio together |
| Cheapest silent output | No silent discount | Kling 3.0 — $0.084/s | Kling with native audio is $0.126/s |
| Max resolution | 1280x720 / 720x1280 | Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 — 4K | Veo 3.1 Fast 4K is $0.30/s, Kling 4K $0.42/s |
| Video input (edit / restyle) | Text and image input only | Gemini Omni Flash, Kling 3.0 Omni | Kling prices video input at $0.126/s silent at 720p |
| Many models, one key | One vendor, one model family | Runway API | Router reports the model used and realized cost |
| Free tier | None on the API (Free tier: not supported) | None of the five for video | Every video API here is paid-tier only |
What Changes in the Migration, and What Doesn't
The job shape survives. Video generation is slow on every vendor, so every API here is asynchronous in the same way Sora's was: submit a job, poll or take a callback, download the result. Your queue, retry logic, storage and delivery code should carry over. What you rewrite is the adapter — auth, the request body, and the enums for duration, aspect ratio and resolution, which differ on every vendor.
Re-quote your own pricing. If you resell generation, check the unit before you check the number. Veo and Kling bill per second of output; Gemini Omni Flash bills tokens and converts; Runway bills credits with minimums on some models (Seedance 2.5 has an 80-credit floor per generation). A per-clip price you promised your users on sora-2 is only safe on Veo 3.1 Fast, which lands on the same $0.10 a second.
Audio is the trap. sora-2 returned synced audio in its base price. Kling charges about 50% more for native audio, and Google's Omni Flash pricing line does not state audio at all. If your product ships sound, test that specific path before the 24th, not just a silent render.
Export your own assets now. OpenAI's notice says Sora content will be permanently deleted after any final export window. Anything your product stored only as an OpenAI-hosted reference is worth pulling into your own storage this week.
Your app outlives the model it launched on
If you built a video product on the Sora API, the people who used it are now searching for one that still works. List it on AISO Tools free — it gets its own page in the video category, the one ChatGPT and Perplexity read when someone asks what to use instead of Sora. Paid Verified listing is optional, one-time, on the same form.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Sora API shut down?
September 24, 2026, per OpenAI's help-center notice on the Sora discontinuation. The Sora web and mobile apps were already discontinued on April 26, 2026.
What is the cheapest replacement for the Sora API?
Veo 3.1 Lite on the Gemini API at $0.05 a second at 720p, with audio — half of sora-2's $0.10. Wan 2.5 on fal is also listed at $0.05 a second.
Which API is the closest drop-in for sora-2?
Veo 3.1 Fast. It is $0.10 a second at 720p with audio, which is sora-2's price, and it adds 1080p ($0.12/s) and 4K ($0.30/s) tiers sora-2 did not have.
What should I use instead of sora-2-pro?
sora-2-pro was $0.30 a second at 720p. Veo 3.1 Standard is $0.40 a second at 720p or 1080p with audio; Veo 3.1 Fast at 4K is $0.30 a second. Test Fast at 1080p ($0.12/s) first — for many products it is the better trade.
Can I still use the Sora app?
No. OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026. Content can be exported from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, and OpenAI says it will be deleted after any final export window.
Is there a free video generation API to replace Sora?
Not among these. Veo, Gemini Omni Flash, Kling, Runway and fal all bill video generation on a paid tier or prepaid credits. The Sora API had no free tier either.
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