As of July 13, 2026, Sora 2 no longer has a normal consumer app price because OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and mobile experience on April 26, 2026. The remaining official price signal is the OpenAI API: Sora 2 is listed at $0.10 per second, while Sora 2 Pro is listed from $0.30 to $0.70 per second, depending on resolution.
For this refresh, I checked OpenAI’s launch post, model pages, video generation docs, and Help Center instead of relying on launch-era summaries. The useful split is simple: the Sora app is a discontinued consumer route, the Sora 2 API is a priced developer route, and third-party workspaces are convenience routes with their own plan rules.
If you make AI videos alongside prompt writing, research, and model comparison, GlobalGPT is worth evaluating as a one-workspace option. Its appeal is practical: fewer separate subscriptions to juggle, faster switching between video and leading chat or research models, and a simpler workflow for creators who would rather keep projects out of a tangle of separate tools. Check the current video credits and export rules before you build a recurring workflow around it.
Table of contents
Quick Answer: What Sora 2 Costs Now
| Route | Current cost signal | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Sora web or mobile app | No active consumer price | OpenAI says Sora web and mobile were discontinued on April 26, 2026. |
| Sora 2 API | $0.10 per second | A 16-second video costs about $1.60; a 20-second video costs about $2.00, before any platform or workflow costs. |
| Sora 2 Pro API | $0.30, $0.50, or $0.70 per second | The cost changes by resolution, so a 20-second clip can range from about $6.00 to $14.00. |
| ChatGPT Plus or Pro | Not a current Sora app purchase path | Do not buy a ChatGPT subscription solely for Sora app access unless OpenAI reopens that route. |
| GlobalGPT video workspace | Check the current plan and credit rules before paying | Best for users who want AI video work inside a broader multi-model workspace rather than direct OpenAI API management. |
Official API price per second
Data checked July 13, 2026. Source: OpenAI Developers model pages for Sora 2 and Sora 2 Pro.
The practical reading: Pro is not just a small upgrade fee. At the highest listed size, it is seven times the Sora 2 per-second price.
What Changed With Sora and Sora 2?
OpenAI introduced Sora 2 in 2025 as a video and audio generation model and launched a separate Sora app experience for early users. At launch, OpenAI described Sora as free to start, invite-based, and initially available in the United States and Canada, with ChatGPT Pro users getting access to Sora 2 Pro through the Sora experience.
That launch context is now historical. OpenAI’s Help Center says Sora web and mobile were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and that API access is scheduled to end on September 24, 2026. So the clean 2026 answer is not “Sora 2 is free” or “Sora 2 costs $20 through ChatGPT Plus.” The clean answer is: the consumer app is gone, and the API pricing is the official developer price while that route remains available.
For more access background, keep a nearby internal reference such as the Sora 2 availability guide updated. The pricing page should not carry the whole availability story, but it should link to it because price and access are now inseparable.
Sora 2 access timeline
Data checked July 13, 2026. Sources: OpenAI Sora 2 launch post and OpenAI Help Center Sora discontinuation notice.
OpenAI introduced Sora 2 and the Sora app experience, with early access framed around invite-based availability.
The consumer route stopped being the useful pricing answer.
For developer teams, the price question now has a migration question attached to it.
Sora 2 API Pricing
OpenAI’s current developer model page lists Sora 2 as a video generation model with synced audio and a price of $0.10 per second. That makes the math simple for short clips:
- 10 seconds: about $1.00
- 16 seconds: about $1.60
- 20 seconds: about $2.00
- 60 seconds of output: about $6.00, if your workflow supports producing or extending that much output
For budgeting, remember that the API price is not the same as the total cost of a finished video. You may also pay for prompt iteration, editing, upscaling in another tool, storage, review time, and any third-party platform layer you use. If you are comparing developer routes, the dedicated Sora 2 API pricing comparison can carry the deeper provider-by-provider details.
Sora 2 Pro Cost by Resolution
Sora 2 Pro is the more advanced API model. OpenAI lists it with higher prices by output size:
| Sora 2 Pro output size | Price per second | 16-second clip | 20-second clip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720×1280 or 1280×720 | $0.30 | $4.80 | $6.00 |
| 1024×1792 or 1792×1024 | $0.50 | $8.00 | $10.00 |
| 1080×1920 or 1920×1080 | $0.70 | $11.20 | $14.00 |
What a 20-second generation costs before retries
Data checked July 13, 2026. Cost is calculated from OpenAI’s listed per-second prices and a 20-second generation length described in OpenAI’s video generation docs.
This is the pre-retry number. If a usable short ad takes five attempts, the real creative cost is closer to five times the bar you see here.
If you only need a short social clip, Sora 2 Pro can be manageable on a per-clip basis. If you need dozens of revisions, longer sequences, or high-resolution vertical ads, the price climbs quickly. That is why the real question is not only “What does one clip cost?” It is “How many usable versions do I need before I get the final shot?”
For a deeper explanation of Pro-specific access and use cases, pair this page with the Sora 2 Pro cost guide.
Does ChatGPT Plus or Pro Include Sora 2?
For the 2026 buying decision, ChatGPT Plus or ChatGPT Pro should not be evaluated as a live Sora app purchase path. OpenAI’s Sora app experience has been discontinued. Older launch coverage that connected Sora 2 Pro to ChatGPT Pro reflected the early Sora rollout, not the current consumer product state.
That does not mean ChatGPT plans have no value. They can still be useful for text, reasoning, coding, image, and other ChatGPT workflows. It simply means a ChatGPT plan should not be bought solely because an old Sora 2 article says it unlocks Sora video generation. Before paying, check OpenAI’s current ChatGPT pricing and Sora documentation side by side.
Is Sora 2 Free?
Sora 2 was free to start during the original app rollout, but that is no longer the practical answer for users arriving in 2026. The official consumer Sora experience is discontinued, and the API route is paid by output seconds. Here is the clean split:
- For the old Sora app: no current consumer free tier, because the app is discontinued.
- For Sora 2 API: not free; the listed Sora 2 model price is $0.10 per second.
- For Sora 2 Pro API: not free; the listed prices range from $0.30 to $0.70 per second.
- For third-party workspaces: pricing depends on the platform’s own plan, credits, model availability, and rules.
Searchers who want a free route often actually want one of three things: a trial, a cheaper alternative, or a way to avoid installing developer tooling. If that is your situation, compare Sora 2 against other video tools instead of chasing outdated invite-code pages. A good next read is the Sora 2 alternatives guide.
Video Limits and Hidden Costs
The official per-second price is only the first layer. OpenAI’s video generation guide describes Sora 2 and Sora 2 Pro as models for 16- or 20-second video generation, with some extension workflows supporting longer output. That means most users should budget by short clip, not by a long film-style minute.
| Cost factor | Why it matters | How to control it |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Each extra second adds cost. | Start with 16-second drafts before paying for longer outputs. |
| Resolution | Sora 2 Pro gets much more expensive at higher output sizes. | Use lower-resolution drafts, then rerun the final prompt at the needed size. |
| Iteration | The first version may not be usable. | Write specific prompts and reuse proven prompt patterns from a Sora 2 prompt guide. |
| Policy and safety review | Some prompts cannot be generated, and sensitive content may require changes. | Plan safer concepts before spending on repeated generations. |
| Platform layer | Third-party tools may add their own credits, queues, or feature limits. | Check the platform’s current plan terms before building a workflow around it. |
For length-specific planning, use the companion guide on how long Sora 2 videos can be. For quota-style questions, link users to how many Sora 2 videos you can make.
Where GlobalGPT Fits
There are two different user needs here. One user needs OpenAI’s official developer route, exact model IDs, API logs, and OpenAI billing. That user should follow OpenAI’s API documentation and watch the Sora API sunset date carefully.
Another user simply wants to create AI video as part of a broader AI workflow. That user may prefer one subscription workspace over direct API setup, separate model subscriptions, and multiple browser tabs. For that workflow, GlobalGPT’s Sora 2 video generator page is worth checking, especially if you already use GlobalGPT for writing, research, prompts, and model comparison. The fit is strongest when convenience and model-switching matter more than raw developer control.
If you compare costs, compare the whole workflow. A cheap per-second API price can still become expensive if you need technical setup and repeated failed drafts. A subscription workspace can be more convenient when it keeps video, research, and prompt work together, while the direct API route fits teams that need exact model control. The better choice depends on where your time goes: building infrastructure, or producing and revising clips.
Which Option Should You Choose?
| Choose this route | Best for | Tradeoff to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI Sora 2 API | Developers who need official model access and can manage API workflows. | Best when official model control matters; weaker when you need a long-term video stack after the listed API sunset. |
| Sora 2 Pro API | Higher-resolution or higher-fidelity output where cost is acceptable. | Quality and output size improve, but five or six retries can turn a short clip into a noticeable spend. |
| GlobalGPT workspace | Creators who want video work near other AI models, research, writing, and daily AI tasks. | Best when one-workspace convenience beats managing separate accounts; compare current credits and exports before paying. |
| Other AI video tools | Users who need longer clips, different styles, or a tool with an active consumer app. | Prices, rights, watermarks, and commercial terms vary by provider. |
The practical recommendation is simple: if you need official Sora 2 model access right now, price it as an API workflow and plan around the September 24, 2026 API sunset. If you need an easier creative workflow, compare GlobalGPT and other AI video platforms on total subscription cost, available models, export quality, and how quickly you can move from prompt to usable clip.
FAQ
How much does Sora 2 cost?
OpenAI’s current developer model page lists Sora 2 at $0.10 per second. That means a 16-second clip is about $1.60 and a 20-second clip is about $2.00. The old Sora app does not have a current consumer subscription price because OpenAI discontinued it on April 26, 2026.
How much does Sora 2 Pro cost?
Sora 2 Pro is listed at $0.30, $0.50, or $0.70 per second, depending on output size. A 20-second Sora 2 Pro clip can cost about $6.00, $10.00, or $14.00 before any other workflow costs.
Is Sora 2 free?
Not as a current official buying route. Sora was free to start during the original app rollout, but the consumer app has been discontinued. The current official Sora 2 API price is paid per second.
Does ChatGPT Plus include Sora 2?
ChatGPT Plus is not a current Sora 2 app access plan. Older launch-era pages can be misleading because Sora web and mobile were later discontinued. Check OpenAI’s current Sora and ChatGPT plan pages before buying any subscription for video generation.
Does ChatGPT Pro include Sora 2 Pro?
At Sora 2’s launch, OpenAI said ChatGPT Pro users could use Sora 2 Pro in the Sora experience. For the 2026 decision, the useful distinction is that the Sora app experience is discontinued, while Sora 2 Pro API pricing is listed separately by second and resolution.
How much does a one-minute Sora 2 video cost?
At $0.10 per second, 60 seconds of Sora 2 output would be about $6.00. For Sora 2 Pro, 60 seconds would be about $18.00, $30.00, or $42.00 depending on output size. OpenAI’s video workflow is usually planned around shorter clips, so use these as budgeting math rather than a promise that every account can generate one continuous minute.
What is the cheapest way to use Sora-style video generation?
If you need official OpenAI Sora 2 access, the cheapest listed model route is Sora 2 at $0.10 per second. If you do not need direct API control, compare multi-model workspaces and AI video alternatives by total plan cost, credit limits, video quality, export rules, and how many revisions you normally need.
