Sora alternatives: what to use now that Sora has shut down
Last updated 2026-10-20
Sora's app and website closed on April 26, 2026, according to OpenAI's help center, and its API was due to end on September 24, 2026. For another generator, Google, Runway and Luma each offer video generation, described below from their makers' own pages. Whichever you pick, the clips still need editing together into one video.
Where Sora stands
OpenAI's help center article, titled "What to know about the Sora discontinuation", says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026. It says the Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026. The article still words the API date in the future tense, so read the page itself for the latest.
It gives dates for Sora's web, app and API and sets no separate date for any one version.
If you made videos in Sora, deal with them first. The article lists an Export option for content you created, and says you get an email when the export is ready. It also says that after Sora is discontinued, and after any final export window, OpenAI will permanently delete data associated with your use of Sora. Export early.
Where else you can generate video
These are services whose own pages we opened on 2026-10-20. The table repeats what each maker says, not our opinion. It is not a ranking and it is not a full list.
Google's page for its Gemini app adds that a newer Google video model will replace the one the app uses now, so what you get there may change.
| Option | What its maker says | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini app (Google) | Makes 10-second videos with generated audio and turns up to five photos into a video. A Google AI subscription is required, and features vary by tier and region. Users must be 18 or older. | In the Gemini app |
| Flow (Google) | Described as an AI creative studio for video, images and custom tools. | On the web at flow.google.com |
| Runway | An all-in-one, cloud-based creative platform for generating and editing video, images and audio in one workspace. | On its website, in the iPhone and Android apps, and through a developer API |
| Luma | Calls itself a creative partner. Its agents research, generate and refine across video, image, audio and text. | On its website at lumalabs.ai, with an API listed |
How to choose between them
Pick by the job, not the name. Ask how long a clip you need, whether you want sound generated with it, whether you are starting from text or from a photo, and where you want to work: phone, browser or an API.
Run the same short prompt in two services and compare. A few seconds of output will show you more than a feature list. Check each service's terms for how you may use what it makes before you post it.
What every option leaves you with
A generator gives you clips. A 10-second clip is a shot, not a finished video. Several of these services can also edit a clip, but putting clips from one or more tools into a single post is a separate job:
- Order. Decide which clip comes first and where the strongest one lands.
- Cuts. Trim each clip to the part that works and cut away the rest.
- Captions. Add one set of captions across all the clips.
- Sound. Lay one music bed and your voice or sound effects under the whole thing.
- Shape. Export at one canvas size for where it will play.
Generate and edit in one place with Woven
Woven is a Mac video editor with an AI agent. Ask in chat for an image, a video clip or audio and the file lands in your workspace, ready to place on a timeline. Generation uses Woven-hosted models and is charged to Woven credits by default; the pricing page has current rates. Clips you filmed or made in other tools go on the same timeline, as MP4, MOV, M4V or WebM.
Ask in chat
- Generate three short cutaway clips of a desk setup.
- Turn this product photo into a short video clip.
- Put these clips in this order and add captions.
- Make the whole thing vertical for a Reel.
Or do it by hand
- 1Ask for the shots. Describe each clip in chat. The job runs in the background, and the clip shows up in chat and in your workspace when it is ready.
- 2Bring in other clips. Choose Add, then Video, or drag files in from Finder, including clips made in other tools.
- 3Order and trim. Drag clips into order on the timeline, drag their edges to trim, and press ⌘B to split at the playhead.
- 4Caption. Choose Add, then Generate captions. They are burned into the exported video.
- 5Add sound and export. Choose Add, then Audio for music, then choose Export and pick 1080p or 1440p.
Common questions
The app and website are. OpenAI's help center dates their end to April 26, 2026. It lists September 24, 2026 for the API, a date now past, though the article still says the API will be discontinued.
No page we opened ranks the options, so we do not name a best one. Compare clip length, sound and where each service runs against your project, and test the same prompt in two.
The same options apply. OpenAI's discontinuation article gives dates for Sora as a whole and does not give a separate date for any one version.
Google's page for its Gemini app says it turns up to five photos into a video. Luma's site also lists a page for AI video from an image.
OpenAI's article lists an Export option for content you created and says you get an email when it is ready. Data is permanently deleted after Sora is discontinued and any final export window, so check the page and export early.
Usually, yes. A generated clip is one shot. Joining several into a post needs order, cuts, captions and sound, and an editor handles those.
Sources
- What to know about the Sora discontinuation - OpenAI Help Center, checked October 20, 2026
- Video generation in the Gemini app - Google, checked October 20, 2026
- Google Flow - AI creative studio for video, images and custom tools, checked October 20, 2026
- Runway, checked October 20, 2026
- Luma - AI Agents for Creative Work, checked October 20, 2026
Try Woven free for 3 days
Then $25/mo billed yearly ($299/yr) or $39/month. Native Mac app for short-form video.
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