Is Sora 2 free? What happened to it, what it cost and what to use now
Sora 2 is no longer available, free or paid. OpenAI closed the Sora app and website on 26 April 2026 and the Sora 2 API on 24 September 2026. Its last API price was $0.10 a second, so an 8-second 720p clip cost $0.80. Kling 3.0 makes the same clip for $0.71 to $1.01.
Key facts
| Sora web and app | Discontinued 26 April 2026[1] |
|---|---|
| Sora 2 API | sora-2, sora-2-pro and their snapshots removed 24 September 2026; no replacement listed[2] |
| Last Sora 2 API price (720p) | $0.10 per second; Sora 2 Pro $0.30 at 720p, $0.50 at 1024p, $0.70 at 1080p[3] |
| Launch terms (30 September 2025) | Free with generous limits at launch; Sora 2 Pro for ChatGPT Pro users[4] |
| Leftover ChatGPT/Sora credits | Can still be used for Codex[1] |
| Kling 3.0 official API, 720p with native audio | 0.9 units per second; units cost $0.098 (trial pack) to $0.14 (180-day pack)[6] |
Sora 2 searches still promise free access, invite codes and no-watermark versions. This page checks each route against OpenAI's own pages, read on 5 November 2026, then prices the clip you wanted on a model that is live today.
Is Sora 2 free?
Sora 2 is not free, and it is not for sale either: OpenAI shut it down. OpenAI's help center says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on 26 April 2026 and the Sora API on 24 September 2026.
Sora 2 was free once. OpenAI's launch post of 30 September 2025 said Sora 2 would start free with generous limits, with the higher-quality Sora 2 Pro for ChatGPT Pro users. That free period ended with the app.
Where can you still use Sora 2?
You can't use Sora 2 on any official route. The table checks each route people try, on 5 November 2026.
| Route | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sora app and sora.com | Discontinued 26 April 2026 | OpenAI help center |
Sora 2 in the OpenAI API (sora-2, sora-2-pro) |
Removed 24 September 2026, no replacement named | OpenAI deprecations |
| OpenAI API price list | No video model listed | OpenAI API pricing |
| ChatGPT plans | No Sora video; purchased ChatGPT/Sora credits move to Codex | OpenAI help center |
| Sora 2 on Microsoft Foundry (Azure) | sora-2 version 2025-12-08 retired 15 October 2026, no replacement |
Microsoft retirement schedule |
| Third-party "free Sora 2" sites | Both official routes to the model, OpenAI's API and Azure, are closed | Sora 2 model page |
| Hailuo AI paid plans | Plan page still lists "Sora 2.0 (Audio)" at 40, 80 and 120 credits for 4, 8 and 12 seconds | Hailuo plans |
OpenAI's model page says the Sora 2 models and Videos API "were shut down on September 24, 2026 and are no longer available." Any app that still lists Sora 2 is showing an old menu item. Ask that app which model renders the clip before you buy credits for it.
What did Sora 2 cost before the shutdown?
Sora 2 cost $0.10 per second at 720p on OpenAI's API, and Sora 2 Pro cost $0.30 to $0.70 per second. OpenAI's model page still shows the final rates.
| Model | Resolution | Per second | 4 s clip | 8 s clip | 12 s clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sora 2 | 720p (1280x720) | $0.10 | $0.40 | $0.80 | $1.20 |
| Sora 2 Pro | 720p | $0.30 | $1.20 | $2.40 | $3.60 |
| Sora 2 Pro | 1024p (1792x1024) | $0.50 | $2.00 | $4.00 | $6.00 |
| Sora 2 Pro | 1080p (1920x1080) | $0.70 | $2.80 | $5.60 | $8.40 |
The 4, 8 and 12-second lengths are the ones Hailuo's credit table still lists for Sora 2. The clip prices are the per-second rate times the length. Sora 2 made sound with the picture, so compare it with models that include audio.
What does the same clip cost now?
An 8-second 720p clip with sound costs $0.71 to $1.01 on Kling 3.0's official API, against $0.80 on Sora 2. Every rate below comes from the maker's or reseller's own price page, read on 5 November 2026.
| Model and route | Rate | 8 s clip | 12 s clip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sora 2 (shut down) | $0.10/s | $0.80 | $1.20 |
| Kling 3.0, official API, 720p with audio, trial pack | 0.9 units/s at $0.098 | $0.71 | $1.06 |
| Kling 3.0, official API, 720p with audio, 180-day pack | 0.9 units/s at $0.14 | $1.01 | $1.51 |
| Kling 3.0 Standard with audio, Runway API | 13 credits/s at $0.01 | $1.04 | $1.56 |
| Kling 4.0, Runway API, 720p (audio always on, launch discount) | 12.56 credits/s | $1.01 | $1.51 |
| MiniMax H3, official API, 768p | $0.08/s | $0.64 | $0.96 |
Sources: Kling API pricing, Runway API pricing, MiniMax pay-as-you-go. Kling's trial packs cost $9.80 or $98, last 30 days and can be bought at most five times. Runway rounds Kling 4.0 charges up to the next credit, and its launch discount runs through 30 November 2026 UTC; list price is 15.7 credits a second, or $1.26 for 8 seconds. MiniMax lists audio input as free on H3 but does not price audio output separately.
For the full list of replacements with Veo 3.1 and Grok Imagine, see Sora alternatives.
Is there a free alternative to Sora 2?
Yes: a free tier on a live model gives you short clips with a watermark. Two official free routes work today:
- Kling AI's free Basic plan. Kling lists it at $0. The Kling free plan guide covers what its credits make and the watermark.
- Dreamina's daily credits. Dreamina says US free accounts get 120 credits a day for its available models, including Seedance 2.0. Seedance 2 free shows how far that goes.
Use free clips for drafts and testing. For a client, an ad or a monetised channel, pay for the plan that removes the watermark and includes commercial use.
What happens to your Sora videos and credits?
Export your videos now: OpenAI says it will permanently delete Sora data after the discontinuation and after any final export window.
- Export: go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export. OpenAI emails you when the file is ready.
- Final window: OpenAI says it will email users before any final export window begins.
- Credits: purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can be used for Codex.
- Refunds: OpenAI points to its standard ChatGPT subscription refund process.
OpenAI's help article showed an update on 4 November 2026, so check it before you rely on the export link.
Which model should replace Sora 2 for you?
Pick by the Sora feature you used most, then test one clip on the cheapest route.
- Dialogue and sound in one pass: Kling 3.0 with native audio, at $0.126 a second on Kling's 180-day API pack.
- Lowest cost per second: MiniMax H3-Lite at 480p for $0.025 a second, or full H3 at 768p for $0.08, on MiniMax's API.
- Longer single shots: MiniMax H3, which Hailuo's plan table lists from 4 to 15 seconds per clip.
- Old Sora prompts: Sora 2 prompts that still work shows how to move them to Veo, Kling and Seedance.
- Veo instead: Veo 3 vs Sora 2 compares the two directly.
If you made Sora clips to star yourself or a friend in a trend, HoneyVid does that job without prompts or credit maths: pick a trending video at HoneyVid, add a character photo and get the clip.
Questions
Is Sora 2 still free?
No. Sora 2 was free with generous limits when it launched on 30 September 2025. OpenAI discontinued the Sora app and website on 26 April 2026 and the Sora 2 API on 24 September 2026, so there is no free or paid way to use it through OpenAI today.
Is there a cost for Sora?
Not any more, because there is nothing to buy. The last price was on the API: $0.10 per second for Sora 2 at 720p and $0.30 to $0.70 per second for Sora 2 Pro. A ChatGPT plan no longer includes Sora video.
Is OpenAI shutting down its Sora video app?
It already has. OpenAI's help center says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on 26 April 2026 and the API on 24 September 2026. Export your videos at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset while OpenAI still offers the export.
What happens to my unused Sora credits?
OpenAI's help center says purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can still be spent on Codex. Refunds for a ChatGPT subscription follow OpenAI's normal refund process.
What is the closest thing to free Sora 2 now?
A free tier on a live model. Kling AI has a free Basic plan and Dreamina gives US accounts 120 credits a day. Both add a watermark on free downloads, so plan to pay for anything you publish commercially.
Sources
Related guides
- Sora alternatives: 8 live replacements, matched to what Sora didSora is shut down on every official route. Eight live replacements matched to what Sora did, with prices, arena scores and the free seconds each gives a day.
- Veo 3.1 vs Sora 2: what changed after Sora shut downSora 2 left OpenAI's API on 24 Sep 2026, so this is no longer a choice. Specs side by side, what Veo 3.1 costs per clip, and how to move your Sora work.
- Sora 2 prompts that still work in Veo, Kling and SeedanceSora 2 is retired, but its prompt habits mostly transfer. See the length limits and dialogue rules of Veo, Kling and Seedance, plus a rewrite of one prompt.
- Is Kling AI free? Free credits, limits and watermarksKling AI has a free Basic plan, but Kling's pages and guides disagree on its credits. See what each says, what 66 credits buy and what is unconfirmed.
More on Veo and Sora
- How to use Veo 3 for free with Google Flow in November 2026Free Veo 3 today means Google Flow's 50 daily credits. See the steps, what each model costs, and what Vids, student plans and the API give you.
- Google Flow pricing and credits: how many Veo videos per day and monthGoogle Flow gives 50 free credits a day and 200 to 25,000 a month on paid plans. See how many Veo 3.1 clips each plan buys, with retries counted.
- Google Veo 3 pricing: what one clip costs by model and routeVeo 3.1 costs $0.03 to $0.60 per second on Google's cloud API. See the price of one 8-second clip for each model, with or without audio, and by route.
- Veo 3 not generating audio? 7 causes and how to fix themVeo 3.1 supports sound, so a silent clip has a cause. Seven documented causes with the fix for each, plus what a silent retry costs on Runway's API.