A Sora alternative with Veo 3.1, Kling and Seedance in one app

What happened to Sora

OpenAI announced in March 2026 that it would wind Sora down. The consumer app and the sora.com site closed in late April, and the Videos API with the sora-2 models was retired in late September 2026. OpenAI pointed to compute demand and a research focus on world models, and no direct successor model has been listed. If you used Sora for short social clips, ad concepts or storyboards, the work itself has not gone away. What changed is where you make it. The models that competed with Sora are still shipping, and several of them now produce native audio, longer clips and 1080p output. Quad does not offer Sora, and nothing on this page should suggest otherwise. Quad runs other labs' video models through its model gateway inside Studio, the same place you make images.

The video models in Quad Studio

Plans, clip lengths and flags come from Quad's video catalog. Clip length is the longest one Studio lets you request. Veo 3.1 Lite (Available on: Ultra plan and up; Longest clip: 8 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: No). Seedance 1 Pro Fast (Available on: Ultra plan and up; Longest clip: 12 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: No; Starts from an image: Yes). Kling 2.6 (Available on: Ultra plan and up; Longest clip: 10 seconds; Top resolution: 720p; Native audio: No; Starts from an image: No). Wan 3 Video (Available on: Ultra plan and up; Longest clip: 30 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: No; Starts from an image: Yes). Veo 3.1 (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 8 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: Yes). Veo 3.1 Fast (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 8 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: Yes). Kling 3 (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 15 seconds; Top resolution: 720p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: No). Seedance 1.5 Pro (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 12 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: Yes). Grok Imagine Video 1.5 (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 15 seconds; Top resolution: 1080p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: Yes). MiniMax H3 (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 15 seconds; Top resolution: 1440p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: Yes). FLUX 3 Video (Available on: Max plan and up; Longest clip: 20 seconds; Top resolution: 720p; Native audio: Yes; Starts from an image: Yes). The catalog also has Wan 3 Video Prime, MiniMax H3 Max and the first Grok Imagine Video. The full list with per-second prices is on the text to video page, and the image to video page covers the models that can start from your own still.

Which model to try for which shot

We have not run a benchmark across these models. These are starting points to test with your own prompts. For talking, music or sound effects in the clip, try Veo 3.1 Lite on Ultra, or Veo 3.1 on Max. Both render audio with the picture. For longer single shots, Wan 3 Video accepts up to 30 seconds on Ultra. Long clips spend more credits, so draft short and extend once the motion looks right. For cheap iteration on an idea, Seedance 1 Pro Fast is the lowest-cost route in Studio, and it can animate a reference image. For motion-heavy scenes such as sports or dance, test Kling 2.6 on Ultra and Kling 3 on Max side by side. For higher resolution, MiniMax H3 renders up to 1440p on Max. Most other models top out at 1080p or 720p. A habit that saves credits is to write the prompt once in chat, ask a chat model to tighten it into one camera move and one subject action, then send the same prompt to two video models and keep the better take.

What it costs

Video generation starts on the Ultra plan at $40 a month. Ultra includes 5,000 credits a month, shared with chat and images. Spent only on four-second 720p Veo 3.1 Lite clips, that is roughly 208 clips. Max at $200 a month adds Veo 3.1, Kling 3 and the other premium video models, and about 156 four-second Veo 3.1 clips at 720p. Those numbers are estimates from Quad's own price table and change with resolution, length and audio. Studio shows the credit cost before you generate, and credits reset monthly. The Free, Go and Pro plans do not include video. Pro does include Image Studio, which is useful for making a first frame before you upgrade.

What you do not get from Quad

Sora's social feed, cameos and remix community. Studio is a private workspace for making clips, not a social network. A free video tier. If you only need a few clips a month, a vendor's own free trial may cost you less. Unlimited generation. Every clip spends credits, and the expensive models spend them quickly. Editing on a timeline. Studio makes clips; cutting them together still happens in your video editor. If you want one model and nothing else, going straight to that lab can be the simpler choice. Quad fits when you want to compare several models on the same prompt, keep your images and clips in one gallery and use the same account for chat, research and documents. The AI video generator page shows Studio itself.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sora shut down?

Yes. OpenAI announced the shutdown in March 2026, closed the Sora app and website in late April 2026 and retired the Sora API in late September 2026. Exported videos stay yours, but new generations are no longer possible.

What is the best Sora alternative?

There is no single best one, and we have not benchmarked them. Veo 3.1 is a common pick for clips with sound, Kling for motion and Seedance for low-cost iteration. Quad Studio lets you run the same prompt on several of them.

Can I use Veo 3.1 without a Google subscription?

Yes. Quad Studio runs Veo 3.1 Lite on the Ultra plan ($40 a month) and Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast on Max ($200 a month), through Quad's own account. You do not need a Google AI plan.

Does Quad have a free AI video generator?

No. Video generation starts on the Ultra plan because video is the most expensive thing Quad runs. The Free plan covers chat and some image models, so you can test the rest of the product before you pay.

Can these models add sound like Sora 2 did?

Several can. Veo 3.1, Veo 3.1 Lite, Kling 3, Seedance 1.5 Pro, MiniMax H3 and Grok Imagine Video 1.5 render native audio. Kling 2.6, Wan 3 Video and Seedance 1 Pro Fast produce silent clips.

Can I animate my own image?

Yes, on models that accept a first frame, such as Veo 3.1, Seedance, Wan 3 Video and MiniMax H3. Make the still in Image Studio or upload your own, then pick an image-to-video model.