OpenAI shut down the Sora consumer app on March 24, 2026, just six months after launch. Here's what happened and what to use instead.
Why Sora Died
The numbers tell the story: $15M per day in inference costs against $2.1M in total lifetime revenue. Downloads dropped 75% from their November peak. Disney cancelled a planned $1B investment deal.
OpenAI cited "focus on compute demand" and a pivot toward robotics research. The web app closes April 26, 2026. The API shuts down September 24, 2026. A successor codenamed "Spud" is confirmed in development - focused on world models for enterprise use, targeting July 2026. It won't be a consumer product.
What to Switch To
The alternatives are all better than Sora was. The market has consolidated around tools that actually ship professional output.
Kling 3.0 is the most direct replacement - global API access, native 4K at 60fps, synchronized audio, professional camera controls. Available now at $0.075 per second.
Seedance 2.0 tops the quality rankings. Available through Dreamina and CapCut in select markets (Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico). No global API yet despite being the #1 ranked model - a key limitation compared to Kling 3.0's global access.
Runway Gen-4.5 offers the best temporal consistency and physics for cinematic work. Available via API.
Grok Imagine 1.0 is the most accessible - integrated into the X platform with rapid generation and multi-image input.
For open-source workflows, LTX-2.3 (launched March 5, 2026) is the only open-source model with native 4K and audio output.
The Lesson
Sora proved that being first doesn't mean being best. The models that survived are the ones that balanced quality with sustainable economics. The AI video market is healthier without Sora than with it.