Veo 3 vs Sora 2: which is better?
Veo 3.1 is the one you can still build on: OpenAI shut down the Sora 2 models and its Videos API on 2026-09-24, with no one-to-one replacement[1]. We could not verify the status of the consumer Sora app, so if you need a model today, pick Veo 3.1, whose API costs $0.05 to $0.40 a second depending on tier[2].
What happened to Sora
OpenAI told developers on 2026-03-24 that the Videos API and the Sora 2 models would be removed from the API on 2026-09-24[3]. Its model page now says the Sora 2 models and Videos API were shut down on that date and are no longer available[1]. There is no one-to-one replacement API[1].
We could not confirm what happened to the consumer Sora app. The help center pages that would say so did not load for us, and the reports we saw were secondhand, so we do not repeat them. If you still use the app, check its status in your own account. Everything below about Sora describes the API as it was documented before the shutdown.
How they compared while both were available
| Sora 2 (API, before shutdown) | Veo 3.1 (Gemini API, now) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Shut down 2026-09-24[1] | Available[2] |
| Price per second | $0.10 (Sora 2); $0.30 to $0.70 (Sora 2 Pro, by output size)[1] | $0.40 (Veo 3.1); $0.10 (Fast) and $0.05 (Lite) at 720p[2] |
| Clip length | 16 or 20 s; extendable to 120 s in total[4] | 4, 6 or 8 s; extend by 7 s up to 20 times[5] |
| Resolution | Priced by output size[1] | 720p, 1080p or 4k[5] |
| Reusable characters | Non-human Characters, up to two per video[4] | Up to 3 reference images[5] |
| Real people | Real people and input images with human faces rejected[4] | Not covered |
| Watermark | Not covered | SynthID on every video[5] |
Audio, characters and length
Google prices Veo with and without audio: Google Cloud lists Veo 3.1 with audio at $0.40 a count for 720p and 1080p, against $0.20 without audio[6]. The Sora API pages we read say little about audio beyond rejecting copyrighted music[4]. We did not render with either model, so we cannot rank their sound from first-hand tests, and documents alone do not settle it.
On length, Sora 2 was ahead: 16- or 20-second generations, extendable up to six times to 120 seconds[4], against Veo 3.1's 8-second clips extended 7 seconds at a time[5]. On characters, Sora's API allowed reusable non-human characters only, and blocked uploads that depicted a human likeness by default[4]. Veo 3.1 takes up to three reference images for style and content[5], which suits a recurring human character better.
If characters are your main use, the bigger lesson from our own work applies to any model: start each clip from a still frame of the character and restate their look in every prompt. Our character consistency guide has the method we used across dozens of Seedance clips.
Price and access
At its base tier, Sora 2 was $0.10 a second[1], the same as Veo 3.1 Fast at 720p today[2]. A 20-second Sora 2 clip therefore cost $2.00 at list price[1]. Veo 3.1 Lite, at $0.05 a second at 720p, is now the cheapest Google tier[2].
Veo is also easier to reach without an API key. Video generation in the Gemini app starts with Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month[7], and Google Flow's credits page lists 50 free credits a day, enough for two Veo 3.1 Fast generations at 20 credits each[8]. Another Flow help page lists a paid Google AI plan as a requirement, so check it in your own account[9].
In Flow, a Veo 3.1 Quality generation costs 100 credits for all users, and Fast costs 20 below Ultra[8]. Google AI Pro, at $19.99 a month, adds 1,000 Flow credits, about 10 Quality or 50 Fast generations[7][8]. For a developer leaving Sora, the per-second API price is the simpler number to budget with, and you are charged only when a video is generated successfully[2].
Verdict and what to use instead of Sora
- Pick Veo 3.1 if you want a hosted model with published per-second prices, 4k output and a cheap Lite tier[2][5].
- If you built on the Sora API, there is no drop-in replacement from OpenAI[1]. The closest match for Sora's long single takes is Kling 4.0 at up to 30 seconds per generation[10], or Seedance 2.5 at up to 30 seconds with extensions for longer[11].
- If you want free access, see is Sora free and the Sora alternatives page.
There is no current contest: one of the two models is gone from the API. The useful comparison now is Veo against Kling or Seedance; our Kling and Veo comparison and Seedance and Veo comparison do that.
Where Cast fits
- You want short vertical character clips with dialogue and no API account.
- You want to try once for free: the first 5-second video needs no sign-up.
- Recurring characters you describe once in text.
Where it does not:
- Long single takes: Cast clips are 5 to 15 seconds.
- 4k or 16:9 output.
- Programmatic access as a Sora API replacement.
People also ask
- Is Sora still available?
- Not through the API: OpenAI shut down the Sora 2 models and Videos API on 2026-09-24[1]. We could not verify the consumer app's status.
- Which had better audio?
- We cannot rank them from documents, and we have not rendered either. Google Cloud prices Veo 3.1 with audio at twice the video-only rate at 720p and 1080p[6].
Sources
Claims about other companies come from their own pages, read on the date shown. Products and prices change; check the link for the current version.
- OpenAI API docs: Sora 2 model page (read )
- Gemini API: pricing (read )
- OpenAI API docs: deprecations (read )
- OpenAI API docs: video generation guide (read )
- Gemini API: Veo video generation (read )
- Google Cloud: generative AI pricing (read )
- Google: Google AI plans (read )
- Google Flow Help: credits (read )
- Google Flow Help: get started (read )
- Kling AI: AI video generator (Kling 4.0) (read )
- ByteDance Seed: introducing Seedance 2.5 (read )
Related answers
- Is Sora 2 free?
- What are the best Sora 2 alternatives?
- How much does Veo 3 cost?
- Kling vs Veo 3: which is better for AI video?
- Seedance vs Veo 3: which is better?
Part of the Cast answers library (Veo and Sora).
Updated