Description
Sora is OpenAI’s video and audio generation model, most recently updated to Sora 2. It turns text prompts or images into short video clips with synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and ambient audio generated natively alongside the visuals rather than added afterward. As of April 26, 2026, OpenAI discontinued the standalone Sora app and sora.com; Sora 2 video generation is now accessed as a feature inside ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro, or through OpenAI’s developer API on a pay-per-second basis. OpenAI describes Sora as bringing a deep understanding of 3D space, motion, and scene continuity to text-to-video generation, built on years of research into multimodal diffusion. A higher-fidelity variant, Sora 2 Pro, trades rendering speed for more polished, stable output suited to high-resolution cinematic footage and marketing assets. The Sora 2 API itself is scheduled to shut down entirely on September 24, 2026.
Key Features
- Native synchronized audio — Sora 2 generates dialogue, sound effects, and ambient sound built into the video itself, rather than requiring a separate voice or sync tool.
- Two model tiers — the standard Sora 2 model for faster, lower-cost generation, and Sora 2 Pro for slower, more polished, higher-resolution output.
- Text-to-video and image-to-video — generates clips from a written prompt alone or from an uploaded reference image.
- Provenance and safety signals — every generated video embeds visible and invisible provenance markers plus C2PA metadata, per OpenAI’s official safety documentation.
- ChatGPT-only consumer access — since April 2026, Sora 2 is available only as a feature inside ChatGPT Plus and Pro, not as a standalone app.
- Developer API — pay-per-second access for developers, billed separately from ChatGPT subscriptions, scheduled to shut down September 24, 2026.
How It Works
A user enters a text prompt, or uploads a reference image, inside ChatGPT (for Plus/Pro subscribers) or through OpenAI’s Videos API (for developers). Sora interprets the prompt using a multimodal diffusion architecture trained to understand 3D space, object permanence, and scene continuity, then renders a short clip with synchronized dialogue, ambient sound, and sound effects generated natively alongside the visuals. Choosing the standard sora-2 model favors speed and lower cost, while sora-2-pro trades rendering time for more stable, higher-resolution output suited to cinematic or marketing use. Every generated video carries visible and invisible provenance signals plus C2PA metadata so it can be traced back to Sora, and OpenAI’s content policy blocks explicit, violent, or harmful prompts before generation.
Technical Architecture & Overview
- Core Engine: Multimodal diffusion models (sora-2, sora-2-pro), trained on diverse visual data for 3D space, motion, and scene continuity understanding.
- Deployment: ChatGPT (Plus and Pro tiers) for consumer access; OpenAI’s Videos API (v1/videos endpoint) for developers.
- API Surface: REST API billed per second of generated video, separate from ChatGPT subscription billing; scheduled to shut down September 24, 2026.
- Known Limits: No standalone consumer app since April 26, 2026; still struggles with physical accuracy in complex scenes; the API’s shutdown date leaves a narrow window for new integrations.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Native synchronized dialogue and sound effects are generated alongside the video itself, without a separate audio tool. | The standalone Sora app and website were discontinued by OpenAI on April 26, 2026. |
| Sora 2 Pro offers a higher-fidelity option for cinematic or marketing work that needs more polished, stable output. | Access now depends entirely on a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription, or the separate developer API. |
| Every generated video carries built-in provenance signals and C2PA metadata for traceability, per OpenAI’s own safety documentation. | The Sora 2 API is scheduled to shut down entirely on September 24, 2026, leaving little long-term runway for new integrations. |
| Sora 2 remains accessible to any existing ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscriber with no separate signup required. | Sora 2 Pro costs three times more per second than the standard model, at $0.30 versus $0.10 per second. |
| The developer API bills per second of generated video, so cost scales directly with usage rather than a fixed subscription. | OpenAI has not confirmed any long-term plan for Sora beyond its current ChatGPT integration. |
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT Free | Not available — Sora 2 requires a paid ChatGPT plan |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20/month (includes Sora 2 access) |
| ChatGPT Pro | $200/month (includes Sora 2 access) |
https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/
API / Developer Pricing
Sora’s Video API bills per second of generated video, confirmed on OpenAI’s official developer platform:
| Model | API Price |
|---|---|
| Sora 2 | $0.10/second (720×1280 or 1280×720) |
| Sora 2 Pro | $0.30/second |
Platform Availability
ChatGPT (Plus, Pro) | API
Best For
ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscribers wanting native-audio video without leaving the app | Developers integrating short-lived video generation via API before the September 24, 2026 shutdown
Similar Tools in This Directory
Also worth comparing: Kling AI, character-consistent video with native audio and a separate prepaid API | Runway, standalone video platform with its own Gen-4.5 model plus multi-model credit access | Google Veo 3.1, native-audio video bundled into Google AI subscription tiers and billed per second via the Gemini API
Visit Official Website
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Sora app still available?
No. OpenAI discontinued the standalone Sora app and sora.com on April 26, 2026, according to OpenAI’s official announcement. Sora 2 video generation is now accessed as a feature inside ChatGPT Plus and Pro.
How much does Sora AI cost?
Sora 2 is included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) and ChatGPT Pro ($200/month) subscriptions. Developers can also access the Sora 2 API separately at $0.10 per second, or $0.30 per second for Sora 2 Pro, according to OpenAI’s official developer platform.
Does Sora generate audio?
Yes. Sora 2 generates synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and ambient audio natively alongside the video, a change from the original Sora, which required a separate tool for narration, according to OpenAI’s official site.
What’s the difference between Sora 2 and Sora 2 Pro?
Sora 2 Pro takes longer to render and costs more per second, but produces more polished, stable results suited to high-resolution cinematic footage, according to OpenAI’s official API documentation.
When does the Sora 2 API shut down?
OpenAI has scheduled the Sora 2 API, including the Videos API and all sora-2 and sora-2-pro model snapshots, to shut down on September 24, 2026, according to OpenAI’s official deprecations page.
