Sora Is Gone: The Best Sora Replacements, Rated
Verdict: For most people replacing Sora, Wan 3.0 is the best starting point: it leads the Artificial Analysis text-to-video leaderboard (with audio), includes sound, runs up to 30 seconds and is one of the cheapest models near the top. Pick Seedance 2.5 for long single takes with recurring characters, Gemini Omni Flash for fast, cheap iteration, and Veo 3.1 if you need clips extended past a minute.
OpenAI announced on March 24, 2026 that it was discontinuing Sora. The Sora app closed on
April 26, 2026, and the Videos API, including the sora-2 and
sora-2-pro models, shut down on September 24, 2026, with no replacement model
from OpenAI (OpenAI
Help Center, OpenAI
deprecations). If you built a workflow, an app or a content pipeline on Sora, you need
somewhere else to go.
This guide rates the leading replacements on output quality, clip length, audio and price, using public leaderboards and published pricing. Every number links to its source. No vendor pays for placement on PromptVideo.
What Happened to Sora?
Here's the short timeline, from OpenAI's own notices:
- March 24, 2026: OpenAI announces Sora is being discontinued.
- April 26, 2026: the Sora app closes.
- September 24, 2026: the Videos API and the
sora-2andsora-2-promodels shut down. API calls now fail.
If you still have videos in your Sora library, OpenAI's help article points to an export page at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset. Download anything you need before relying on it, since export windows don't stay open forever.
OpenAI hasn't released a successor video model through ChatGPT or the API, so every option below comes from another developer.
The Best Sora Replacements at a Glance
Prices are per second of generated video as compiled by Dbggr on October 13, 2026. Providers change prices often, so check before you budget.
| Model | Best for | Price per second | Clip length | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wan 3.0 | Best overall Sora replacement | $0.083 (720p), $0.165 (1080p) | 2 to 30 s | Included |
| Seedance 2.5 | Long single takes, recurring characters | $0.231 (720p), $0.569 (1080p) | 4 to 30 s | Yes |
| Gemini Omni Flash 1.1 | Fast, cheap iteration | About $0.10 | 3 to 10 s, extendable to 40 s | Yes |
| Veo 3.1 | Long extended clips, Google ecosystem | $0.40 (Fast $0.10 to $0.12, Lite $0.05 to $0.08) | Extendable to 148 s | Yes |
| Kling 3.0 | High resolution, up to 4K | $0.084 to $0.126 (720p), $0.112 to $0.168 (1080p) | Short clips | Yes |
| MiniMax H3 | Open weights, self-hosting | $0.08 (768p) | 4 to 15 s | Yes |
| Runway Gen-4.5 | Creative editing tools | $0.12 (720p only) | Short clips | Check provider |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 | Quick social clips | $0.14 (720p), $0.25 (1080p) | Short clips | Yes |
How We Rated the Sora Alternatives
We didn't run our own generation tests for this piece. Instead, we rated each model on four things anyone can check:
- Quality ranking on two public leaderboards: Artificial Analysis (text-to-video with audio) and Arena, both based on blind human preference votes.
- Clip length per generation and how far clips can be extended.
- Audio, since Sora 2's synchronized sound was a big reason people used it.
- Price per second at 720p and 1080p.
Then we mapped each model to the video formats we cover, such as UGC ads, short films and product videos.
1. Wan 3.0: Best Overall Sora Replacement
Wan 3.0 sits at #1 on the Artificial Analysis text-to-video leaderboard with audio, and it's also one of the cheapest models near the top: $0.083 per second at 720p and $0.165 at 1080p, with audio included. Clips run from 2 to 30 seconds per generation.
For a Sora user, that combination covers most of what you lost: realistic motion, synchronized sound and enough length for a full social ad or scene. The main caveat is maturity. Wan 3.0 was still listed as a preview in Dbggr's comparison, so expect changes to pricing and limits.
Best for: UGC-style ads, social clips and most general Sora workflows.
Watch out for: preview status, which can mean changing limits.
2. Seedance 2.5: Best for Long Single Takes
ByteDance's Seedance 2.5 generates up to 30 seconds in one pass with audio and accepts up to 50 reference files, which keeps faces, products and voices consistent across a scene. It sits in the top group on Artificial Analysis.
It's the priciest model in the top tier at $0.231 per second for 720p and $0.569 for 1080p, so it makes the most sense where consistency matters more than volume. We cover it in depth in our Seedance 2.5 review.
Best for: short films, recurring presenters and UGC reads longer than 15
seconds.
Watch out for: cost at 1080p.
3. Gemini Omni Flash 1.1: Best for Fast, Cheap Iteration
Google's Gemini Omni Flash 1.1 ranks #1 on Arena's text-to-video leaderboard and is in the top group on Artificial Analysis. At about $0.10 per second, it's cheap enough to generate many variations. Base clips run 3 to 10 seconds and can be extended to 40.
Best for: testing many ad hooks or concepts before committing to a final
render.
Watch out for: short base clips, which means more stitching for longer
pieces.
4. Veo 3.1: Best for Extended Clips
Veo 3.1 is mid-table on the Artificial Analysis leaderboard now that newer models have arrived, but it has one unique strength: clips can be extended to 148 seconds. It also comes in three tiers. Standard costs $0.40 per second, Fast $0.10 to $0.12 and Lite $0.05 to $0.08.
Best for: longer explainers and teams
already working in Google's tools.
Watch out for: standard-tier price, which is the highest on this list.
5. Kling 3.0: Best for High Resolution
Kling 3.0 is the anchor model on the Artificial Analysis leaderboard and supports up to 4K output. Pricing runs $0.084 to $0.126 per second at 720p and $0.112 to $0.168 at 1080p, depending on the provider. Kling 4.0 is expected, so check for a newer version before you commit.
Best for: product videos and anything that needs a high-resolution master.
6. MiniMax H3: Best Open-Weights Option
MiniMax H3 is in the top group on Artificial Analysis and ships with open weights, so you can host it yourself. Hosted pricing is about $0.08 per second at 768p, and clips run 4 to 15 seconds.
Best for: developers who were on the Sora API and want control over hosting and costs.
Other Options Worth Knowing
- Runway Gen-4.5: $0.12 per second at 720p. Runway's editing tools are its main draw.
- Grok Imagine 1.5: $0.14 per second at 720p and $0.25 at 1080p. Good for quick social clips.
- Luma Ray3.2: also covered in Dbggr's comparison if you want another option to test.
Amazon's Nova Reel isn't an option anymore. It reached end of life on September 30, 2026, a week after Sora's API.
Which Sora Replacement Should You Pick?
| If you used Sora for… | Switch to |
|---|---|
| Social and UGC-style ads | Wan 3.0 |
| Short films and recurring characters | Seedance 2.5 |
| Rapid concept testing | Gemini Omni Flash 1.1 |
| Longer explainers | Veo 3.1 |
| High-resolution product shots | Kling 3.0 |
| An app built on the Sora API | Wan 3.0, or MiniMax H3 if you want to self-host |
How to Move Your Sora Prompts
Sora prompts usually transfer with light editing. Three changes help:
- Split long prompts by time. Models with 30-second takes, like Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5, follow time-segmented directions (0 to 10 s, 10 to 20 s, 20 to 30 s) better than one long paragraph.
- Move identities into references. Instead of describing a character in words, give the model reference images or clips where it supports them.
- Add on-screen text in editing. Generated text is still unreliable across models. Add captions and titles afterward.
Browse more format-by-format guidance in our resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Sora shut down?
OpenAI announced it was discontinuing Sora on March 24, 2026. The app stopped on April 26, 2026, and the Sora 2 API shut down on September 24, 2026. OpenAI's help center covers the dates and export steps but hasn't released a replacement video model.
Can I still use Sora 2 through the API?
No. The sora-2 and sora-2-pro models and the Videos API shut
down on September 24, 2026, according to OpenAI's deprecations page. Requests to those
endpoints no longer generate video.
Can I download my old Sora videos?
OpenAI's help article points users to an export page at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset. Export anything you want to keep as soon as possible.
What is the best Sora alternative?
Wan 3.0 is the best all-round Sora replacement right now. It leads the Artificial Analysis text-to-video leaderboard with audio, runs up to 30 seconds and costs $0.083 per second at 720p. Seedance 2.5 is better for long, consistent single takes.
What is the cheapest Sora alternative?
Among top-ranked models, Veo 3.1 Lite ($0.05 to $0.08 per second), MiniMax H3 ($0.08 at 768p) and Wan 3.0 ($0.083 at 720p) are the cheapest options in Dbggr's October 2026 comparison.
Is there a free Sora alternative?
MiniMax H3 has open weights, so you can run it on your own hardware without per-second fees, though you'll pay for compute. Most hosted tools offer limited free trials, but production use is paid.