Compare · Sora alternative · Independent
Sora shut down: the best Sora alternative for image & text to video
Looking for a Sora alternative? OpenAI closed the Sora apps on April 26, 2026 and the Sora API on September 24, 2026, so Sora can no longer make videos — here or anywhere. The closest Sora alternative we actually run is Kling 3.0, for cinematic text and image to video with native sound; Veo 3.1 is the Sora alternative for short dialogue-led clips, with Wan 2.5 for cheap drafts, Kling 2.5 Turbo for the cheapest Kling first takes and Grok Imagine for low-cost clips with sound; Seedance 2.5 is coming soon here. Below: what replaces each Sora feature, a converter to bring your Sora prompts over to a Sora alternative, and what it costs.
- Sora apps closed Apr 26, 2026
- Sora API closed Sep 24, 2026
- Converter runs in your browser
Negative prompt
Is Sora shutting down? It already has
Two dates
According to OpenAI’s help center, the web and mobile apps of the Sora AI video generator stopped on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API followed on September 24, 2026. New generations are no longer possible on either, on any plan.
Your old videos
OpenAI pointed users to an export page to download their creations, and says data is permanently deleted after the discontinuation. If you still have access, export first — nothing here can recover Sora files.
Leftover credits
OpenAI’s notice says remaining Sora credits can be applied to Codex. They don’t transfer to any Sora alternative, including PictureToVideo.
Why you need a Sora alternative
No website can generate Sora videos any more. If a service still advertises Sora generation after September 24, 2026, ask which model it really runs. PictureToVideo doesn’t offer Sora — every Sora alternative on this page is a model we actually call, and the model behind each quality tier is listed on our models page.
The best Sora alternative for each job
Sora alternative for image to video
| Kling 3.0 | Veo 3.1 | Wan 2.5 | Kling 2.5 Turbo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Faces, products, controlled transitions | Short clips with sound | Cheap motion tests | Quick drafts on a budget |
| Image input | Start frame, or start + end frame | Start frame | Start frame | Start frame, or start + end frame |
| Clip length | 3–15 s | 8 s | 5 or 10 s | 5 or 10 s |
| Native audio | Optional | Always on | Silent here | None |
| Max picture | 4K | 4K (Fast tier) | 1080p | 1080p |
| From | 10 cr/s | 21 cr/s | 9 cr/s | 6 cr/s |
Every Sora feature and its replacement
| In Sora | Sora alternative here | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Text to video | Every Sora alternative here starts from a text prompt: Kling 3.0 (3–15 second takes, up to 4K, optional native audio), Veo 3.1 (8-second clips, sound-first) and Wan 2.5 (720p drafts, square output).Text to video AI | Available today |
| Image to video | Animate a still on any image-to-video Sora alternative here: Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Wan 2.5 or Kling 2.5 Turbo. Kling can also take an end frame and fill the motion between the two.Photo to video AI | Available today |
| Storyboards | Kling 3.0 multi-shot is the Sora alternative for storyboards: up to six shots in one prompt, each with its own framing, camera move and duration. The converter below writes this format.Kling 3.0 | Available today |
| Synced dialogue & sound | Native audio on Kling 3.0 and Veo 3.1 — speech in quotes is voiced, with effects and ambience. Veo always renders sound; switch it off on Kling and you pay the lower silent rate.Veo 3 | Available today |
| Talking to your own script | Lines you write are voiced today: put them in quotes on Kling 3.0 or Veo 3.1. Lip sync to a voice recording you upload is coming soon here. | Partial |
| Re-cut & extend | Continue any Kling clip from its last frame; chain extensions for longer scenes.AI video extender | Available today |
| Vertical, square, wide | 9:16 and 16:9 on Kling, Veo and Wan; 1:1 on Kling and Wan. Native 21:9 is announced for Kling 4.0. | Available today |
| Clips longer than 15 seconds | Kling 3.0 stops at 15 seconds per take. Seedance 2.5 (up to 30 seconds per pass) is coming soon here, and Kling 4.0 is announced with 30-second takes. Until then, extend.Seedance 2.5 | Coming soon |
| Cameos | No equivalent in any Sora alternative we run. Image to video can start from a photo of a person — only with their explicit consent, never of public figures. Kling O1, which keeps a character consistent from reference images, is coming soon here. | No equivalent |
| Remix someone’s video | Re-run any prompt with edits. Instruction-based video editing exists in Kling’s Omni models but is not in our studio yet. | Partial |
| Social feed, likes, follows | None — PictureToVideo is a private studio, not a social Sora alternative. Your renders stay in your own library unless you share the file. | No equivalent |
Bring your Sora prompts to a Sora alternative
Load an example
Kling 3.0 prompt
12s · 16:9 · audio on
Shot 10–4s· Wide shot· handheld tracking shot
A lighthouse keeper climbs a spiral staircase at night, lantern in hand.
Shot 24–8s· Close-up· static camera
Her face lit by the lamp as she reaches the top.
Shot 38–12s· Wide shot· aerial drone move
The beam sweeps across a stormy sea.
- Audio
- sound of wind and crashing waves
- Style
- cinematic 35mm film
What changed
- Split into 3 timed shots (4s + 4s + 4s).
- No aspect ratio found — using 16:9.
- Moved 1 sound cue to the Audio line — Kling reads sound best at the end.
Runs in your browser with fixed rules — nothing is sent until you generate.
Kling vs Sora 2, on paper
| Kling 3.0 | Sora 2 (shut down) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Runs on PictureToVideo | App closed Apr 26, 2026 · API closed Sep 24, 2026 |
| Clip length | 3–15 s per take | Up to 15 s in the app; 25 s with Pro storyboards |
| Native audio | Yes, optional | Yes |
| Resolution | 720p · 1080p · 4K | 720p; up to 1792×1024 on Sora 2 Pro |
| Multi-scene | Up to 6 shots per prompt | Storyboards |
| Image to video | Yes, with start + end frame | Yes |
| Real people | No cameos; references only with consent | Cameos |
| Community | Private studio | Social feed and remix |
| Watermark | None | Visible watermark + C2PA metadata |
| API price | From $0.070/s (720p, silent) | Was $0.10/s for Sora 2 at 720p |
Move to a Sora alternative in three steps
Rescue what you can
Download any Sora videos you still have access to through OpenAI’s export page, and copy your favourite prompts into a document before anything else.
Convert your prompts
Run each prompt through the converter above. Check the “What changed” notes — especially trimmed lengths and cameo mentions — and edit before you render.
Draft cheap, finish sharp
Test ideas on Kling 2.5 Turbo (6 credits per second) or Wan 2.5 at 720p (9), then re-render keepers on Kling 3.0 (10) or Veo 3.1. The $2.99 starter pack covers about 6 such Turbo drafts.
Prompting a Sora alternative like a director
Name the shot size
Kling and Veo respond well to film vocabulary: wide, medium, close-up, over-the-shoulder. Start each shot with one so framing never has to be guessed.
One camera move per shot
Sora prompts often stacked several moves in one sentence. Give each shot a single move — push-in, orbit, crane up — and split the rest into new shots.
Put sound last
Keep the action lines visual and list sound on its own line at the end. Dialogue goes in quotes, with who says it, so native audio voices the right character.
Respect the clip length
Kling 3.0 takes up to 15 seconds and Veo 3.1 up to 8. Three or four shots of three to five seconds read best; if a scene needs more, render two clips and join them with Extend rather than cramming.
What each Sora alternative costs per second
| Model | Resolution | Credits / sec | With audio | Typical clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kling 3.0 | 720p | 10 | 14 | 5s · 50 cr ≈ $0.68 |
| Kling 3.0 | 1080p | 13 | 19 | 5s · 65 cr ≈ $0.88 |
| Kling 3.0 | 4K | 47 | — | 5s · 235 cr ≈ $3.19 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 720p | — | 21 | 8s · 168 cr ≈ $2.28 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 1080p | — | 21 | 8s · 168 cr ≈ $2.28 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 4K | — | 49 | 8s · 392 cr ≈ $5.33 |
| Wan 2.5 | 720p | 9 | — | 5s · 45 cr ≈ $0.61 |
| Wan 2.5 | 1080p | 14 | — | 5s · 70 cr ≈ $0.95 |
| Kling 2.5 Turbo | 720p | 6 | — | 5s · 30 cr ≈ $0.41 |
| Kling 2.5 Turbo | 1080p | 6 | — | 5s · 30 cr ≈ $0.41 |
| Grok Imagine | 480p | — | 2 | 8s · 16 cr ≈ $0.22 |
| Grok Imagine | 720p | — | 4 | 8s · 32 cr ≈ $0.43 |
Example: a 12-second, 720p Kling 3.0 clip with audio costs 168 credits (≈ $2.28 on the Pro plan).
How we write about Sora
- Facts only, with OpenAI’s own help-center notice as the source for every date.
- No OpenAI logos or Sora screenshots — we use the names only to describe each Sora AI alternative.
- We never host, mirror or “unlock” Sora; there is no Sora on PictureToVideo, and no clip here is presented as a Sora render.
- We only call a model a Sora alternative that “runs here” if we actually call it: Kling, Veo 3.1, Wan 2.5, Hailuo 02 and Grok Imagine. Seedance 2.5 says “coming soon” until it is switched on.
- The images on this page are illustrations, not renders from any of the models compared.
- Never convert prompts that depict real people without their consent — cameo-style prompts need a reference you have the right to use.
Sora alternative FAQ
Still curious? Email support@picturetovideo.org — a human replies within a day.
01Is Sora shutting down?
02What is the best Sora alternative?
03Is there a free Sora alternative?
04What is the best Sora 2 alternative for image to video?
05Kling vs Sora: which is better?
06Can I move my Sora videos and prompts to a Sora alternative?
07Does anything replace Sora Cameos?
08Can I make Sora videos on PictureToVideo?
09How do Sora alternative prices compare with Sora’s?
10Is PictureToVideo affiliated with OpenAI, Kling or Google?
Related tools & models
Pick up where you left off
Convert an old Sora prompt, press render and see your scene again — on Kling 3.0, the closest Sora alternative. Starter pack from $2.99, no subscription.