Is Sora really shut down?

Yes. According to OpenAI's Help Center, the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API on September 24, 2026. OpenAI recommends exporting content as soon as possible and says it will delete the data after the service ends.

How do I download the videos I made in Sora?

OpenAI says to go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export, and you get an email when the file is ready. If a final export window is offered, OpenAI says it will email you before it begins, and after it passes the data is permanently deleted.

What is the best Sora alternative?

It depends on the video. To generate a scene from text or an image with sound, the options are Google's Gemini Omni Flash, ByteDance's Seedance 2.5, Runway, Kling and PixVerse. To put someone into real footage and keep its sound, Duble AI, vswp and Real Xablau do that job.

Can I trust sites that still sell Sora?

Be careful. With OpenAI's app and API switched off, a site still selling Sora needs to say which model it actually runs and who provides it. A brand name on the page proves nothing. Before paying, look for that information and the price of one finished video.

No, it moved. Google's documentation says Veo 3.1 Preview was shut down on the Gemini API on October 22, 2026, with migration to Gemini Omni Flash or to the Veo models available on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.

Sora is gone: which AI video alternatives to use in 2026

Updated on October 24, 20264 min read

Sora is gone: OpenAI discontinued the app and website on April 26, 2026 and the API on September 24, 2026, according to OpenAI's Help Center. To generate video from text, the alternatives are Gemini Omni Flash, Seedance 2.5, Runway, Kling and PixVerse. Putting someone into real footage is a different job.

Everything below was read on official pages on October 24, 2026. No quality test was run. Duble AI is this site's product and only appears in the section on real footage.

What happened to Sora, by date

Date	What changed	Source
Apr 26, 2026	Sora web and app discontinued	OpenAI
Sep 24, 2026	Sora API discontinued	OpenAI
After the end	OpenAI deletes Sora usage data once any final export window has passed	OpenAI

"Best AI video tool" lists written before these dates still present Sora as a live option. If the list you are reading does that, it is out of date.

How to save what you made in Sora

OpenAI says to go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export. An email tells you when the file is ready. OpenAI says it will email before a final export window, if it can offer one, and permanently delete the data afterwards. If you have videos there, export them now.

Which alternative to use, by kind of video

You want to...	Use	Why
Generate a scene from text, with sound	Gemini Omni Flash, Seedance 2.5, Runway	They do the job Sora did
Animate an image	Kling, PixVerse, Vidu	Image to video, with motion control or references
Put someone into real footage	Duble AI, vswp, Real Xablau	They keep the recording's setting, camera and sound

Google: Gemini Omni Flash and Veo

The Gemini API documentation points to Gemini Omni Flash for video generation and says Veo 3.1 Preview was shut down on that API on October 22, 2026. Veo continues for businesses on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. According to the Omni page, it generates video with audio from text, outputs 720p by default (1080p by upscaling) and can edit or extend clips of up to 10 seconds. The comparison with Duble AI is in Duble AI vs Gemini Omni.

ByteDance: Seedance 2.5

Seedance 2.5 generates audio and video together, makes up to 30 seconds in one generation and can extend twice. ByteDance offers it through an API, and it also appears in CapCut and on platforms such as Higgsfield. Our Seedance 2.5 guide covers the ways in and the price of each.

Runway

Runway has a free plan with 125 one-time credits and Standard at $12 a month billed annually ($15 monthly), with 625 credits a month, which the page converts into 52 seconds of Gen-4.5. The plan lists watermark-free output and voice, music and sound-effect generation. See Duble AI vs Runway.

Kling, PixVerse and Vidu

All three turn images into video. PixVerse publishes Standard at $10 a month, with optional audio on its V6 model, according to its information page. Vidu has a reference-to-video mode, with Standard at $10 a month or $99 a year on its pricing page. To pick between them, see PixVerse alternatives and the AI video models of 2026.

When you do not want to invent a scene

If what you did in Sora was put someone into a video, a text-to-video generator is not the shortest route: the scene, the camera and the sound come out new on every try. If you already have the footage, or want to join a trend that is going around, the job is to change only who appears.

On Duble AI, your AI influencer (the app calls it a double) takes the place of one person, or up to three, in a trend or your own clip of 3 to 30 seconds, with the recording's original sound. Duble AI does not make scenes from text, creates no voice or music, and has no free video. The price is per second: 3 credits at Standard and 4 at High (Full HD).

Dimas VHS, from the cast, an invented AI influencer

The difference between the two ways of making a video is in text-to-video or character swap. vswp and Real Xablau do the same kind of swap and are compared in AI tools for swapping a character in a video.

Be careful with sites still selling "Sora"

With OpenAI's app and API switched off, a site still advertising Sora needs to say which model it really runs and who provides it. The name on the page does not prove where the video comes from. Before paying, look for the model's name, the company behind it and the price of one finished video. If the site does not show them, pick one of the tools above, which publish that information.

If your case is joining a trend with a face that is not yours, create your AI influencer.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sora really shut down?: Yes. According to OpenAI's Help Center, the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API on September 24, 2026. OpenAI recommends exporting content as soon as possible and says it will delete the data after the service ends.
How do I download the videos I made in Sora?: OpenAI says to go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export, and you get an email when the file is ready. If a final export window is offered, OpenAI says it will email you before it begins, and after it passes the data is permanently deleted.
What is the best Sora alternative?: It depends on the video. To generate a scene from text or an image with sound, the options are Google's Gemini Omni Flash, ByteDance's Seedance 2.5, Runway, Kling and PixVerse. To put someone into real footage and keep its sound, Duble AI, vswp and Real Xablau do that job.
Can I trust sites that still sell Sora?: Be careful. With OpenAI's app and API switched off, a site still selling Sora needs to say which model it actually runs and who provides it. A brand name on the page proves nothing. Before paying, look for that information and the price of one finished video.
Is Veo gone too?: No, it moved. Google's documentation says Veo 3.1 Preview was shut down on the Gemini API on October 22, 2026, with migration to Gemini Omni Flash or to the Veo models available on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.