Is Sora 2 free? No. OpenAI shut Sora down. Here's what still works

Is Sora 2 free? No, and you can't pay for it either. OpenAI discontinued Sora: its help center says "The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026. The Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026." Both dates have passed, so there's no official way to use Sora 2 today, free or paid. A site offering "free Sora 2" now isn't OpenAI's Sora.

Official free ways to use Sora 2

There aren't any. OpenAI's help center gives the shutdown in two steps: the Sora web and app experiences ended on 26 April 2026, and the Sora API ended on 24 September 2026. Its stated reason: "As we focus and compute demand grows, the Sora research team continues to focus on world simulation research to advance robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks."

That also answers the ChatGPT question. Sora was reached through the Sora app and sora.chatgpt.com, and both are part of the "web and app experiences" OpenAI discontinued. A ChatGPT plan doesn't bring it back.

If you used Sora before the shutdown, OpenAI's help center has the details on exporting your old videos and on refunds.

What to use instead: official routes with a free tier

These are the official, still-running models people usually move to. Each one's free route has limits, all checked on the vendor's own pages on 29 October 2026.

Every figure in this table is from the vendor's own help or plan pages; prices and allowances change often, so check before you rely on them.

Paid routes compared

With Sora gone, the paid choice is between paying a model maker directly or using a platform that offers several models.

• Google directly. Google AI Plus ($4.99), Pro ($19.99) and Ultra (from $99.99) a month in the US add Flow credits (200, 1,000 and 10,000 or more) for Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni. Prices from Google's plans page, 29 October 2026.
• Kling directly. Kling's credit guide (28 July 2026) lists Standard at $8.80 a month after a $6.99 first month, for 660 credits, with 1080p, watermark removal and commercial use.
• Higgsfield. Higgsfield is one credit plan with several video models. Its model list on 29 October 2026 included Veo 3.1, Veo 3.1 Lite, Gemini Omni Flash 1.1, Kling 4.0 and Seedance 2.5. It did not include a Sora model. Higgsfield still has a Sora 2 landing page, but with OpenAI's API closed we wouldn't count on Sora there.

Which to pick: if one model does what you need, pay its maker directly; it's usually the simplest bill. If you used Sora because you wanted the best clip for each shot, a multi-model plan lets you switch models per shot. Our Higgsfield vs Sora vs Veo comparison (written before the API shutdown, now updated) and Higgsfield credits explained cover the trade-offs.

Official site vs look-alike sites

Sora was an OpenAI product, served from OpenAI's own domains. In late October 2026, Bing's top results for "sora 2 free" and "sora ai free" still included sites such as saro2.ai and sora2.design, and a Hugging Face Space named "sora-2-free". None of these is an OpenAI domain, so none is OpenAI's Sora. We aren't saying what they run or what they do with your data; we're saying they aren't OpenAI's official Sora, which OpenAI says it has shut down.

Four quick ways to tell an OpenAI-looking site from the real thing, now that the real thing is gone:

• Any "Sora 2" generator today isn't OpenAI's. OpenAI ended the Sora app, website and API, so a working "Sora 2" box on another domain is serving something else.
• Watch the spelling. "saro2" is one swapped letter from "sora2".
• A free Hugging Face Space isn't an OpenAI release. A Space's name doesn't tell you who made it or which model it runs.
• Don't pay for "Sora credits" elsewhere. OpenAI no longer sells Sora access, so there's nothing official to buy.

The full details of Google's free route, including the peak-hour limits and credit costs, are in is Veo 3 free.

Kling's free plan, its limits and its paid tiers are covered in is Kling AI free.

The short version: Sora 2 is gone, free or paid, and "free Sora 2" sites aren't OpenAI. Veo 3.1 and Kling are the official models with free routes, and is Higgsfield free covers the multi-model option's free tier.