What Is Sora? OpenAI's Video Tool and Why It Closed (2026)
What is Sora? Sora was OpenAI's AI video generator, which turned text prompts into short clips with sound. OpenAI closed the Sora app and website worldwide on 26 April 2026 and shut the Sora API on 24 September 2026. It is no longer available in the UK or anywhere else.
If you searched for what is Sora, you may have found pages describing it as something you can try today. That is out of date. Sora was a separate OpenAI product that made short videos from written prompts, and OpenAI has closed it. This guide, checked against OpenAI's Help Center and its Sora 2 announcement on 22 October 2026, explains what Sora was, how it worked, why it matters that it has gone, and what to use instead.
In this guide
What is Sora?
Sora is the name OpenAI gave to its AI video generator. You described a scene in words, and Sora produced a short video clip to match. The first model appeared in February 2024, and the newer Sora 2 model, announced on 30 September 2025, added synchronised dialogue and sound effects. OpenAI called it a step up in physical accuracy and control compared with earlier video systems.
Sora was not a button inside the normal ChatGPT chat window. It had its own website and its own app. The Sora 2 app worked like a social feed, where people could create clips, remix each other's videos and browse a personalised stream. OpenAI also said ChatGPT Pro subscribers would be able to use a higher quality model called Sora 2 Pro on the Sora website.
It was popular quickly. BBC News reported on 10 October 2025 that the Sora 2 app was downloaded more than a million times in under five days, faster than ChatGPT managed at launch, even though it was only available by invite in North America. The same report said the app produced realistic ten second videos from simple text prompts, and that its handling of copyright material and images of dead public figures drew criticism.
How did Sora work?
In practice, using Sora followed a simple pattern, based on OpenAI's own description of the Sora 2 app:
Write a prompt. You described the scene, the style and what should be said or heard.
Get a short clip. Sora 2 generated a clip with matching sound, which you could share or let others remix.
Use characters. After a one-time video and audio recording to verify your identity, you could place yourself in scenes. OpenAI said only you decided who could use your character, and you could revoke access at any time.
Manage teen settings. Parents could set feed limits and turn off personalisation through ChatGPT parental controls.
OpenAI was open about the limits. Its announcement said the model was far from perfect and made plenty of mistakes, so clips still needed checking before anyone treated them as accurate footage. That caution applies to every AI video tool.
Is Sora still available?
No. According to OpenAI's Help Center, the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on 26 April 2026, and the Sora API was discontinued on 24 September 2026. Here is the timeline, with the source for each step:
Date | What happened | Source |
30 Sep 2025 | Sora 2 and the Sora iOS app announced, by invite in the US and Canada first | OpenAI |
10 Oct 2025 | Sora 2 app passes 1 million downloads in under five days | BBC News |
24 Mar 2026 | OpenAI announces it is ending Sora, in a post on X | Gizmodo report |
26 Apr 2026 | Sora web and app discontinued | OpenAI Help Center |
24 Sep 2026 | Sora API discontinued | OpenAI Help Center |
OpenAI's own Sora 2 announcement page now carries a banner saying the product is no longer available. Gizmodo reported that coverage at the time linked the closure to computing costs and to OpenAI's focus on coding tools and business customers. Those are press reports, not an OpenAI statement, so treat the reason as unconfirmed.
Developers lost access on 24 September. The pricing tracker CostGoat records that Sora 2 had cost $0.10 per second at 720p through the API, a historical rate that no longer applies, and quotes OpenAI's video generation guide as saying no one-to-one replacement API is available.
Was Sora ever available in the UK?
Partly, and not in its final form. Gizmodo reports that the original Sora reached UK users on 28 February 2025 through ChatGPT Plus and Pro, after launching elsewhere in December 2024. It also reports that the Sora 2 app was never released in the UK before the shutdown. OpenAI's own announcement said the Sora 2 rollout began in the US and Canada.
A VPN does not change anything now. Sora has closed in every country, so connecting from the US or Canada leads to the same shutdown notice, according to the same Gizmodo report.
What can ChatGPT still do for video and images?
We have not found a current OpenAI help page that lists video generation as a standard ChatGPT feature. When OpenAI added its closure notice to the Sora 2 page, it pointed readers to image creation in ChatGPT instead. What ChatGPT does well is the planning around video.
Scripts and voiceover text for short videos.
Shot lists and storyboards you can hand to an editor or another tool.
Images from a written description, which you can use as stills or as a starting point elsewhere.
Prompts written for the video tool you choose.
For the wider picture, read our guide to whether ChatGPT can make videos and our ChatGPT image generator guide. If you are deciding whether a paid plan is worth it for this kind of work, see ChatGPT plans compared and our Is ChatGPT free? guide.
What can you use instead of Sora?
Several other tools generate video from text. Gizmodo reported in October 2026 that these accepted sign-ups from a UK address:
Google Gemini: the Gemini app turns text prompts and images into short clips with sound.
Runway: built for filmmakers and agencies, with tools for editing existing footage.
Kling: from Kuaishou, it creates clips from text or images and can extend a clip.
Luma Dream Machine: works in a browser and in an iPhone app.
Hailuo: from MiniMax, it turns text prompts and still images into clips.
Pika: aimed at social media, it adds effects to photos and videos and makes short clips from prompts.
We have not tested these tools, availability and pricing change often, and this is not a ranking. For a sense of cost, CostGoat's tracker listed Google Veo API pricing from $0.03 a second and Kling from $0.04 a second in October 2026, against the old $0.10 a second for Sora 2. Our best AI chatbots comparison covers the chat side of the same companies.
How should you choose a video tool?
This is our own suggestion, not OpenAI advice. Work through these steps in order:
Check that the tool accepts sign-ups from the UK and works on your device.
Check the price after any free credits, and whether clips carry a watermark.
Read the licence to see whether you can use clips commercially.
Only upload your own face, voice or footage, or material you have permission to use.
Start with a short test clip and check it carefully before you share it.
Any of these tools can produce clips that look real but are not. Label AI video clearly when you share it, and avoid using the likeness of real people without consent.
Can you still get your old Sora videos?
Possibly. OpenAI's Help Center says you can export content you created in Sora at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset by selecting Export, and that you will get an email when it is ready. It recommends exporting as soon as possible, because Sora data will be permanently deleted after any final export window closes. Check that the page is still open before you rely on it.
For refunds, OpenAI points to its page on requesting a refund for a ChatGPT subscription. It also says any purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can still be used for Codex. If you want to stop a paid plan, our cancel subscription guide shows the steps.
Sora FAQs
What is Sora?
Sora was OpenAI's AI video generator. You typed a prompt and it produced a short clip, and Sora 2 added synchronised sound. The Sora app and website closed on 26 April 2026.
Is Sora free?
Not any more, because it is closed to everyone. At the Sora 2 launch OpenAI said the app would initially be free with generous limits, subject to compute constraints, and that ChatGPT Pro users would get the higher quality Sora 2 Pro model. None of that can be used now.
Is Sora available in the UK?
No. Gizmodo reports that the original Sora reached UK users in February 2025 through ChatGPT Plus and Pro, but the Sora 2 app never launched in the UK. OpenAI has since closed Sora everywhere, so UK access is not possible.
Why did OpenAI shut down Sora?
OpenAI's Help Center sets out the dates and what users should do, but we did not find an official explanation. Press reports linked the decision to computing costs and a focus on coding tools and business customers, which OpenAI has not confirmed in the pages we checked.
Can ChatGPT make videos like Sora?
We found no current OpenAI help page that lists video generation as a ChatGPT feature. ChatGPT can still help with scripts, storyboards and prompts for other tools, and it can create images.
Can I still download my Sora videos?
OpenAI's Help Center says you can request an export at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and that you will get an email when it is ready. It recommends exporting as soon as possible, because Sora data is permanently deleted after any final export window closes.
Key takeaways
Sora was OpenAI's AI video generator, separate from the normal ChatGPT chat window.
The Sora app and website closed on 26 April 2026, and the API on 24 September 2026.
The Sora 2 app never launched in the UK, according to Gizmodo.
ChatGPT can still help plan video and create images, but we found no official video generation feature.
Other video tools accept UK sign-ups, so check price, licence and consent rules before you commit.
The bottom line
So, what is Sora today? It is a closed OpenAI product, remembered as an early sign of how fast AI video improved. The tools that replace it will keep changing, so check the date on any guide before you trust it. Explore more ChatGPT guides on whatischatgpt.co.uk, starting with What Is ChatGPT?.
