OpenAI shut the Sora app on April 26, 2026 and its API on September 24. ScreenWeaver starts from a real screenplay, free to write, and turns it into a storyboard and AI video with Seedance 2.5, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and more in one project.
Sora was built around prompts, remixes and a social feed. A film needs a script that holds every shot together.
Prompt-first · Sora (closed)
How Sora worked
1Type a prompt in the Sora app or on the web, or call the Sora 2 model through the API.
2Sora 2 generated video with synchronized dialogue and sound effects.
3Characters, the cameo feature, put you or a friend in a scene after a one-time recording.
4Clips were remixed and shared in a feed. The app closed on April 26, 2026, the API on September 24.
It was built for fast, shareable clips. A model that disappears also shows why your film should not live inside one model.
Script-first · ScreenWeaver
Write the screenplay first
1Write in a real screenwriting editor: industry formatting, outline and beats. Free.
2The shot breakdown and storyboard are generated from your scenes. You control each shot.
3Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot.
4Each shot becomes a video node. Switch models on the same shot if one changes or closes.
Built for writers and directors of films and series, who need the project to outlive any one model.
What stays in your hands
The script leads. The models follow.
The screenplay is the reference
Every storyboard frame is linked to its scene and beat. Rewrite a scene and you know which shots it touches.
Manual control of each shot
Framing, angle, movement and duration: you set them, shot by shot.
Continuity from shot to shot
Characters, locations and references carry from one shot to the next.
No single-model lock-in
Seedance 2.5 by default, with Seedance 2.0, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, MiniMax H3 and Grok Imagine Video 1.5 on the same video node.
The pipeline
Write. Board. Produce.
01The screenplay, enriched
An industry-standard screenplay editor, and more: a visual outline and beat editor, your writing inspirations (notes, photos, audio) kept next to the page, and an AI researcher to support your writing, not replace it.
02The storyboard, made easy
Shot breakdown generated from your screenplay, manual control over every shot (frame, angle, movement, duration), and generative AI previsualization in one click.
03AI production, with finesse
Footage generation pipelines connected to your screenplay and storyboard. Optimized out of the box, fully editable workflow.
Demo project · The Yellow Umbrella · Episode 1
Where things stand
What you can use today.
Sora is no longer available. Here is exactly what each ScreenWeaver plan includes.
Available
Screenwriter
$0does not expire
Unlimited projects and pages, industry formatting, outline and beats, PDF and Final Draft (.fdx) export.
Available
Auteur
$39.99a month, 6,000 credits
The storyboard generated from your screenplay, then AI video from the same shots, with the latest models.
Available
Studio
$149.99a month, 25,000 credits
Everything in Auteur, plus real-time collaboration, unlimited seats and Owner, Editor and Viewer permissions.
Side by side
ScreenWeaver vs Sora
Sora as OpenAI described it before the shutdown, next to ScreenWeaver today.
ScreenWeaver
Sora
Status in October 2026
Available
Closed: app April 26, 2026, API September 24, 2026
Starting point
Your screenplay
A prompt
Writing the script
Screenwriting editor, industry formatting
No screenwriting editor
Script files
Export to PDF and Final Draft (.fdx)
None
Storyboard from the script
Auteur plan, $39.99/mo
None
Shot control
Framing, angle, movement, duration
Prompt instructions
Consistency
Characters, locations, references tied to the script
Characters (cameos) of real people, after a recording
Video models
Seedance 2.5 and 2.0, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, MiniMax H3, Grok Imagine Video 1.5
Sora 2 only
Sound
Audio on or off, depending on the model
Synchronized dialogue and sound effects
Paid plans
Auteur $39.99/mo (6,000 credits), Studio $149.99/mo (25,000 credits)
No longer sold
Collaboration
Real-time, Studio plan
Remixes and a social feed
On a phone
Any browser on phone, tablet or computer, installable like an app, no app store needed
The Sora app, closed on April 26, 2026
Sora information from openai.com, which states that the Sora product has not been available since April 26, 2026, and from OpenAI support, which gave September 24, 2026 as the shutdown date of the Videos API. Checked in October 2026.
Fair is fair
What Sora did well
Sora 2, launched on September 30, 2025, pushed AI video forward on sound and realism, and made video generation social.
Synchronized sound: dialogue, background soundscapes and sound effects generated with the picture
Physical realism: OpenAI's example is a missed basketball shot that rebounds instead of teleporting
Multi-shot instructions followed while keeping the state of the world from shot to shot
Cameos: you or a friend in a scene, with control over who may use your likeness
If you still have Sora clips, keep your local copies, and check OpenAI's help center for what can still be exported.
Our verdict
Build the film, not the clip.
Sora showed how good a single AI clip can get, and its closure showed the risk of tying a project to one model. ScreenWeaver keeps the screenplay as the source of truth: free professional writing, a storyboard generated from your scenes, and video from the model you choose, shot by shot.
Professional writing, free and unlimited, with PDF and Final Draft export
A storyboard generated from your screenplay, shot by shot
Six video models on the same node, characters kept consistent
Prices in US dollars, list prices as published on each vendor's site in September 2026 (Katalist, Runway, Kling, invideo, PixVerse, Hailuo AI, Pika, Luma, Previs Pro, Dreamina and Vidu in October 2026). Check their sites for the latest.
Yes. OpenAI announced on March 24, 2026 that it was discontinuing Sora. OpenAI states that the Sora product has not been available since April 26, 2026, and its support team gave September 24, 2026 as the shutdown date of the Videos API that served Sora 2.
What is the best Sora alternative for filmmakers?
For a film or a series you write yourself, ScreenWeaver: the screenplay, the storyboard and the footage stay in one project, and you choose the video model per shot. For single clips from a prompt, Runway and Kling are built for speed. Each one is compared on its own page.
Can I still use Sora 2 through another app?
Sora 2 ran on OpenAI's servers, through the Sora app and the Videos API. With both closed, a tool that still lists Sora 2 cannot reach it through OpenAI's API. Check each vendor's page before you pay for it.
Which video models does ScreenWeaver use?
Seedance 2.5 is the default. Seedance 2.0, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, MiniMax H3 and Grok Imagine Video 1.5 are in the same menu, so you can try another model on the same shot without leaving the project.
Does ScreenWeaver generate sound like Sora 2?
Depending on the model, the video node generates with audio on or off. Seedance 2.5, the default, also accepts reference audio. Check each model's options in the node before you generate.
Can I write a screenplay in ScreenWeaver?
Yes, for free. ScreenWeaver is a screenwriting editor with industry formatting, outline and beats, and PDF and Final Draft (.fdx) export. The storyboard is then generated from your scenes.
How does ScreenWeaver keep characters consistent?
Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot, tied to the same script. Their sheets are wired into each shot's video node as references, which is what keeps a face the same from one shot to the next.
Is ScreenWeaver free?
Writing is. The Screenwriter plan costs $0 and does not expire: unlimited projects and pages, PDF and Final Draft export. The Auteur plan costs $39.99 a month for 6,000 credits, and the Studio plan $149.99 a month for 25,000 credits.
What happens to my film if a model closes, like Sora did?
In ScreenWeaver your script, storyboard, characters and shots are project data, not model data. If a model leaves the menu, you pick another one on the same video node and generate the shot again from the same references.
Sora and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. ScreenWeaver is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by OpenAI. Product names are used only to identify the products compared.
Write the film first. Then pick the model.
Start with a free screenplay editor. The storyboard is built from your pages, and the video from your storyboard.
