Sora API: Pricing, Specs, and the September 24 Shutdown

Sora 2 is OpenAI's video and audio generation model. It launched on September 30, 2025 with an invite-only iOS app, added a developer API soon after, and then OpenAI reversed course: the Sora app and sora.com closed on April 26, 2026, and the API stops accepting requests on September 24, 2026. If you are planning a build on the Sora API, you are building on a countdown. Here is what still works, what it costs, and where to move when it shuts down.

TL;DR: The Sora API is real but closing. OpenAI serves sora-2 at $0.10 per second and sora-2-pro at $0.30-$0.70 per second through its Videos API, and both stop working on September 24, 2026. The Sora app closed on April 26, 2026, so invite codes no longer matter and there is no free way to use Sora 2 today. Sora is not available on Unifically. The closest live models you can call right now are Veo 3.1, SeeDance 2.0, and Kling 3.0.

Is there a Sora API?

Yes, for a few more weeks. The official OpenAI Sora API is the Videos API on the OpenAI developer platform. You send a prompt to POST /v1/videos, the job renders asynchronously, and you download an MP4 when the status reaches completed. Two models are served: sora-2 for speed and drafts, sora-2-pro for higher-quality output.

The clock is the important part. On March 24, 2026, OpenAI notified developers that the Videos API and every Sora 2 model alias and snapshot (sora-2, sora-2-pro, sora-2-2025-10-06, sora-2-2025-12-08, sora-2-pro-2025-10-06) will be removed on September 24, 2026. The deprecation table lists no replacement model.

A minimal call looks like this:

curl -X POST "https://api.openai.com/v1/videos" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY" \
  -F model="sora-2" \
  -F prompt="Wide shot of a red fox crossing a snowy field at dawn" \
  -F size="1280x720" \
  -F seconds="8"

Poll GET /v1/videos/{video_id} or register a webhook for video.completed, then fetch the file from GET /v1/videos/{video_id}/content. Download URLs expire one hour after generation, so copy files to your own storage right away. With the app gone, this API and the official SDKs are the only OpenAI-provided way to run Sora 2 at all.

Sora API pricing

Searches for "sora 2 price" used to split between app subscriptions and API rates. Only the API rates are left. Sora 2 API pricing is billed per second of generated video, verified against the official pricing page on August 18, 2026:

The Batch API runs the same jobs at half price: $0.05 per second for sora-2, and $0.15 / $0.25 / $0.35 for the three sora-2-pro resolutions. Batch-generated videos stay downloadable for 24 hours after the batch completes.

The math gets heavy fast. A single 20-second sora-2-pro video at 1080p costs $14.00 at the standard rate. A 120-second maximum-length build (one generation plus six extensions) at that tier runs $84.00. Prompts that fail moderation still fail before billing, but there are no refunds for outputs you simply don't like.

Sora 2 specs: what the API can do

Sora 2's calling card is audio and video in one generation: dialogue, ambience, and sound effects arrive synchronized in the same MP4. The API supports:

• Durations: up to 20 seconds per generation (both models support 16- and 20-second renders; shorter jobs like 4 or 8 seconds render faster).
• Extensions: POST /v1/videos/extensions continues a finished video by up to 20 seconds per call, up to six times, for a 120-second maximum.
• Edits: POST /v1/videos/edits applies a targeted change (palette, added subject) while keeping the original composition.
• Image references: an input_reference image becomes the first frame. It must match the output resolution; images containing human faces are rejected.
• Characters: upload a short MP4 of a non-human subject and reuse it across generations, up to two characters per video. Human likeness is blocked by default.

Guardrails are strict: content must be suitable for viewers under 18, copyrighted characters and music are rejected, and real people, including public figures, cannot be generated.

Is the quality worth it? On Arena's text-to-video leaderboard as of August 18, 2026, sora-2-pro sits at #8 with a score of 1364 (46,509 votes). That places it behind SeeDance 2.0 at #3 (1482) and in a statistical tie with the Veo 3.1 audio variants at #9-12 (1364-1358). Strong physics and good synchronized audio, but no longer the front of the pack, and the front of the pack is still accepting API calls.

Is Sora 2 free?

No. At launch, OpenAI made Sora 2 free in the app with generous limits, and ChatGPT Pro subscribers got the higher-quality Sora 2 Pro model on sora.com. All of that ended with the app on April 26, 2026. Today the only access is the paid API, billed per second, with no free tier. If you bought ChatGPT/Sora credits you never used, OpenAI's help center says they can still be spent on Codex.

Do you still need a Sora invite code?

No, because there is nothing left to be invited to. Sora 2 launched as an invite-based app in the US and Canada so people would join with friends, and invite codes briefly became a currency of their own (the query still gets about 49,500 US searches a month). Press reports later covered OpenAI lifting the invite requirement in the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea for a limited window. Since April 26, 2026, the app no longer exists, so any site offering to sell or generate a Sora invite code today is taking money for nothing.

Does Sora put a watermark on videos?

Yes. OpenAI's Sora 2 safety documentation states that at launch "all outputs carry a visible watermark", the moving cloud logo you have seen on Sora videos across social feeds. Beyond the visible mark, OpenAI embeds C2PA provenance metadata in all Sora videos and maintains internal reverse video and audio search to trace outputs back to Sora. The API documentation does not mention a visible watermark on API-generated files, and OpenAI has not published a separate watermark policy for the Videos API.

Third-party watermark removers exist. We won't point to any: stripping provenance from AI video so it can pass as real is exactly the problem C2PA exists to prevent, and most platforms' synthetic-media policies require disclosure either way.

Sora API alternatives you can call today

Sora is not available on Unifically, and with OpenAI retiring the API there is nothing to wait for. Most searches for Sora 2 alternatives come down to the same checklist: short videos with synchronized audio, strong physics, and image-to-video. These live models are the closest fits, all callable now on one API key:

• Veo 3.1: the nearest match for Sora 2's audio-plus-video-in-one-call workflow. Up to 8 seconds per video at 720p-4K with lip-synced dialogue and sound effects, from $0.075 per video.
• SeeDance 2.0: ranked #3 on Arena's text-to-video board today, five places above sora-2-pro. Up to 9 image, video, or audio references, 4-15 second output, up to 4K on Pro.
• Kling 3.0: multi-shot mode renders 2-6 connected scenes in one call, 3-15 seconds single-shot, 4K mode, lip-sync audio in five languages, from $0.05 per second.
• Grok Imagine: xAI's video and image family for fast, low-cost generation from text, start frames, or references.

Every model links to a playground page where you can test a prompt before writing any integration code. Billing is pay-per-use with no subscription.

FAQ

When does the Sora API shut down?

September 24, 2026. OpenAI announced the deprecation on March 24, 2026, covering the Videos API and all Sora 2 model aliases and snapshots. The Sora app and sora.com already closed on April 26, 2026.

Can I still export my old Sora videos?

Yes, for now. Go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export; OpenAI emails you when the archive is ready. OpenAI says it will permanently delete Sora data after the export window passes, so do this soon.

How much does a 10-second Sora 2 video cost?

$1.00 with sora-2 at 720p ($0.10 per second). The same 10 seconds on sora-2-pro costs $3.00 at 720p or $7.00 at 1080p. Batch jobs cost half.

Will there be a Sora 3?

OpenAI has not announced one. The deprecation notice lists no replacement model, and as of August 18, 2026 there is no successor video product on the OpenAI platform. We will update this post if that changes.

Can Sora 2 generate real people?

No. The API rejects prompts depicting real people, including public figures, and input images containing human faces. The app-era cameo feature that let consenting users insert their own likeness died with the app.

Update watch: this post tracks a moving target. We will update it when the Sora API shutdown lands on September 24, 2026, if OpenAI announces a successor video model, and if Sora in any form becomes callable again. Pricing and Arena numbers above were verified on August 18, 2026.