Sora 2 API Shutdown: Migrate by September 24

Quick Answer

The Sora 2 API shuts down on September 24, 2026. Per OpenAI's deprecations page, the Videos API and every Sora 2 model — sora-2, sora-2-pro, and their dated snapshots (sora-2-2025-10-06, sora-2-2025-12-08, sora-2-pro-2025-10-06) — are removed from the API on that date. Developers were notified on March 24, 2026, and the consumer Sora app and web experience were already discontinued on April 26, 2026. OpenAI has announced no successor video product: this is a full exit, not a model upgrade. If your product or pipeline calls Sora 2, you have until September 24 to move it. The closest like-for-like migration target is Google's Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash — generally available since August 27, 2026 at ~$0.10 per second — with Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, and Seedance 2.0 as the other serious candidates.

Key Takeaways

September 24, 2026 is a hard cutoff. After that date, Videos API calls and every Sora 2 model alias stop working — there is no legacy mode.
Nothing replaces it at OpenAI. No successor model or video API has been announced; waiting is not a strategy.
The app is already gone. Consumer Sora ended April 26, 2026 — the API is the last piece standing, and only until September 24.
Migration means changing providers, not versions. Budget for prompt re-testing, not just an endpoint swap.
Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash is the closest functional match for text-to-video with audio — GA, self-serve key, per-second pricing, plus conversational editing Sora never had.

What exactly shuts down on September 24

From OpenAI's deprecation notice:

Being removed	Status
Videos API (all endpoints)	Removed September 24, 2026
`sora-2`	Removed September 24, 2026
`sora-2-pro`	Removed September 24, 2026
`sora-2-2025-10-06`, `sora-2-2025-12-08`, `sora-2-pro-2025-10-06`	Removed September 24, 2026
Sora web + app	Already discontinued (April 26, 2026)

Anything you still need from Sora — generated videos stored on OpenAI's side, prompt libraries, evaluation baselines — export it before the date. After shutdown there is no read-only access.

Where to migrate

The full field guide with strengths and weaknesses per model is in Gemini Omni Flash alternatives; the dimension-by-dimension Sora comparison is in Gemini Omni Flash vs Sora 2. The short version for Sora API refugees:

Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash — the closest overall match and our default recommendation. Generally available since August 27, 2026, free AI Studio key, ~$0.10 per second of 720p output with a ~3x cheaper 360p draft tier, audio, and two things Sora never offered: conversational editing (change one thing, keep the rest) and scene extension to 40 seconds. Setup and code: API tutorial, then the 1.1 migration guide.
Veo 3.1 — the conservative pick if you need 1080p+ native output and a longer GA track record inside Google's ecosystem. Comparison: Omni Flash vs Veo 3.1.
Kling 3.0 / Seedance 2.0 — strong raw-quality contenders, covered in the alternatives roundup. Weigh API maturity and terms per provider before committing a production pipeline.

Migration checklist

Inventory every Sora call. Search your codebase for sora-2 and Videos API endpoints; list the features you actually use (durations, resolutions, remix).
Export anything stored with OpenAI — generated assets, job history, evaluation clips — before September 24.
Pick the target model against your real requirements, not the benchmark headline: audio? vertical 9:16? edit-and-keep workflows? longer scenes?
Re-test your prompt library. Prompts are the least portable part of a video pipeline. Structured, shot-level prompts (our template library) transfer far better than vibe prompts.
Put the new model behind your own interface. The lesson of this shutdown: model lifecycles are shorter than product lifecycles. Isolate the vendor call so the next migration is a swap, not a rewrite.
Run both in parallel for the remaining weeks if budget allows — generate the same test set on Sora and the target model, and let output quality settle the choice before the deadline settles it for you.

If you'd rather not run a migration at all

The other path out: stop integrating model APIs directly. Omni Flash is an independent platform (not affiliated with Google or OpenAI) where generation runs in the browser — Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash and Veo 3.1 in the model selector, conversational editing included, no API keys, no model-lifecycle risk on your side. When the underlying models change, the platform absorbs the migration instead of your codebase. Credit-based pricing replaces per-second API billing.

FAQ

When does the Sora 2 API shut down?

September 24, 2026. OpenAI's deprecations page lists the Videos API and all Sora 2 models — sora-2, sora-2-pro, and their dated snapshots — as removed from the API on that date. Developers were notified on March 24, 2026.

Is the Sora app shutting down too?

It already did — OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026. The API was the last remaining access, and it ends September 24.

Is OpenAI replacing Sora 2 with a new video model?

No successor has been announced. As of September 2026 this is a complete exit from video generation APIs, not a version upgrade — which is why migration to another provider is the only path forward.

What is the closest replacement for the Sora 2 API?

For most text-to-video-with-audio workloads: Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash — generally available, self-serve key, ~$0.10 per second, with conversational editing and 40-second scene extension on top. Veo 3.1 is the pick if you need native 1080p+; Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0 are the strongest non-Google contenders. See the alternatives roundup for the full comparison.

Try the Omni Flash studio → — generate with Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash and Veo 3.1 in the browser, no API migration required.
Read: Gemini Omni Flash vs Sora 2 → — the dimension-by-dimension comparison, updated for the shutdown.
Read: the 1.1 API migration guide → — the code you'll write on the other side.
Read: Gemini Omni Flash alternatives → — every serious video model, compared.
Compare credit packs → — replace per-second API billing with credits.