COMPARISON · Last verified: September 2026
Google Veo vs Sora
Status update
- Sora: OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026, and set the Sora API (Sora 2, Sora 2 Pro and the Videos API) to shut down on September 24, 2026. Its deprecations page lists no recommended replacement.
- Google Veo: Veo 3.1 is live in Google Flow, Google Vids, Google AI Studio, the Gemini API and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI). In the Gemini app, Google says its Gemini Omni model will replace Veo.
Sora details below are kept for reference and for Sora users moving to Veo.
Google's live video model against OpenAI's discontinued one, with a migration path for Sora users.
🏆 Quick Verdict
Tie: Google Veo 4.6/5, Sora 4.6/5
Veo is free in Flow (50 credits a day), with plans from $4.99/mo; Sora has no consumer plan left
⭐ Strongest At
Every tool has one thing it does better than its competitors. Here is each one's honest edge:
Control and resolution: up to three reference images, first-and-last-frame control and output up to 4K, with native audio.
Longer single shots: 16 and 20 second generations in OpenAI's guide, and extensions reached 120 seconds (app discontinued April 26, 2026; API set to shut down September 24, 2026).
📊 Quick Specs
Google Veo vs Sora: official demos
Official videos for Google Veo and Sora, side by side; the Sora video is kept for reference.
Google Veo
Sora
Official videos via YouTube (Google DeepMind; OpenAI), embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim these videos.
What is Google Veo?
Google Veo is Google DeepMind's video generation model, and the current line is Veo 3.1 in three variants: Veo 3.1 (Quality in Flow), Veo 3.1 Fast and Veo 3.1 Lite. You start from a text prompt or an image, can steer the result with up to three reference images, or set the first and last frames. Veo generates audio natively with the video (always on in the Gemini API), and clips run 4, 6 or 8 seconds in 16:9 or 9:16, at 720p, 1080p or 4K (Lite stops at 1080p, and 1080p and 4K clips must be 8 seconds). Through the Gemini API, Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast can extend a clip by 7 seconds at a time, up to 20 times, for up to 148 seconds of 720p video. Creators use Veo in Google Flow, Google's AI creative studio; developers use Google AI Studio, the Gemini API and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI); it also appears in Google Vids. In the Gemini app, Google says its Gemini Omni model will replace Veo; Flow offers Gemini Omni Flash alongside Veo 3.1. Veo videos carry Google's SynthID watermark. Read our full Google Veo review.
What is Sora?
Sora is OpenAI's video generation model. Its Sora 2 generation, offered through the API as sora-2 (which OpenAI's guide described as designed for speed and flexibility) and sora-2-pro (for higher quality results), generated video with synced audio from a text prompt, an image or both, with the image acting as the first frame. Clip length was its strength: OpenAI's API reference listed 4, 8 or 12 second clips, its video guide said both models support 16 and 20 second generations, and extensions of up to 20 seconds each reached a maximum of 120 seconds. Sora 2 rendered at 720p, and Sora 2 Pro added 1024p and 1080p. Its status decides this comparison. OpenAI's help center says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and on March 24, 2026 OpenAI notified developers that the Videos API and Sora 2 models would be removed from the API on September 24, 2026, with no recommended replacement listed. Read our full Sora review.
Key differences at a glance
Both turn text or images into video with sound. What separates them:
- -- Availability: Veo 3.1 is live in Flow, the Gemini API and Google's enterprise platform; OpenAI discontinued the Sora app on April 26, 2026 and set its API to shut down on September 24, 2026.
- -- Clip length: one Veo generation runs 4, 6 or 8 seconds; Sora's API reference listed 4, 8 or 12, and OpenAI's guide added 16 and 20.
- -- Longer videos: Veo extends in 7-second steps to 148 seconds at 720p; Sora extended in steps of up to 20 seconds to 120.
- -- Resolution: Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast reach 4K; Sora 2 Pro topped out at 1080p.
- -- Price per second: at 720p, Veo 3.1 Lite costs $0.05 and Veo 3.1 Fast matches Sora 2's $0.10; at 1080p, Veo 3.1 costs $0.40 against Sora 2 Pro's $0.70.
- -- Score: both rate 4.6/5 in our reviews, so availability, not the score, separates them.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Here is how Google Veo and Sora compare on the specs that matter when you move a video workflow:
Pricing comparison
Google Veo for creators runs on Flow credits. Flow's pricing section and its credits help page say you get 50 credits a day with or without a subscription, although Google's "Get started with Google Flow" help page still lists a Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra subscription as a requirement; unused daily credits do not roll over, and free users may not be able to generate videos during peak hours. Google AI plans, billed monthly (US prices), add monthly credits: Google AI Plus at $4.99/month adds 200, Google AI Pro at $19.99/month adds 1,000, and Google AI Ultra adds 10,000 at $99.99/month or 25,000 at $199.99/month. A Veo 3.1 Lite clip costs 10 credits, Veo 3.1 Fast 20 and Veo 3.1 Quality 100 (Ultra pays 5 for Lite and 10 for Fast).
The entry plan is modest: Google AI Plus adds 200 monthly credits, enough for 20 Lite clips or 10 Fast clips on top of the free daily allowance, along with 400 GB of storage and access to Gemini Omni Flash. Google AI Pro's 1,000 credits cover 100 Lite, 50 Fast or 10 Quality clips, and unused monthly credits do not roll over.
Google Veo for developers is billed per second of video on the Gemini API, audio included, with no free tier: Veo 3.1 Lite $0.05 (720p) or $0.08 (1080p), Veo 3.1 Fast $0.10, $0.12 or $0.30 (720p, 1080p, 4K), and Veo 3.1 $0.40 (720p or 1080p) or $0.60 (4K). Google charges only for videos that are successfully generated.
Sora has no plan to buy, since the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026. OpenAI priced its API per second: $0.10 for Sora 2 at 720p and $0.30, $0.50 or $0.70 for Sora 2 Pro at 720p, 1024p or 1080p, with Batch jobs at half price, and set that API to shut down on September 24, 2026.
A worked example for a developer moving a Sora pipeline: 200 eight-second 720p clips a month is 1,600 seconds, which cost $160 on Sora 2. The same volume costs $80 on Veo 3.1 Lite, $160 on Veo 3.1 Fast or $640 on Veo 3.1. At 1080p, every Veo tier undercuts Sora 2 Pro's $1,120: $640 on Veo 3.1, $192 on Fast and $128 on Lite. A former Sora app user can start with Flow's 5 free Lite clips a day; Google AI Pro ($19.99/month) adds about 100 more a month.
Pros & Cons
Google Veo
- Live in Flow, Google Vids, Google AI Studio, the Gemini API and Google's enterprise platform
- 50 free Flow credits a day (5 Veo 3.1 Lite or 2 Veo 3.1 Fast clips)
- Native audio on every clip, included in the API price
- Output up to 4K on Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast
- Up to three reference images and first-and-last-frame control
- Veo 3.1 Lite from $0.05 per second at 720p
- One generation is 8 seconds at most, and API extensions run at 720p only
- All three Veo 3.1 models are labeled Preview in the Gemini API
- No free tier for Veo on the Gemini API
- Free Flow users may be unable to generate during peak hours
- In the Gemini app, Google says Gemini Omni will replace Veo
Sora
- Longer single shots: 16 and 20 second generations in OpenAI's guide
- Extensions up to a maximum of 120 seconds
- Synced audio from a text prompt or an image
- Sora 2 Pro offered 1080p; Batch jobs cost half the standard rate
- The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026
- OpenAI set the API to shut down on September 24, 2026, with no recommended replacement listed
- Sora 2 was 720p only; Sora 2 Pro topped out at 1080p
- In the API, real people, including public figures, could not be generated, and input images with human faces were rejected
Which Should You Choose?
For new work the answer is Google Veo, since Sora has no consumer plan left. The Sora column is for people winding down.
Choose Google Veo if you:
- → Need a model that is still live, in Flow and the Gemini API
- → Want to start free with Flow's 50 credits a day
- → Need sound on every clip, vertical 9:16 output or 4K
- → Are moving a Sora 2 pipeline and want per-second pricing from $0.05
- → Want reference images or first-and-last-frame control
Choose Sora if you:
- → Only need to export videos you made: OpenAI's help center points to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset
- → Want old Sora 2 clips as a benchmark while you rebuild prompts in Veo
- → Hold purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits: OpenAI says they can still be used for Codex
Bottom Line
Google Veo and Sora tie at 4.6/5 in our reviews, but their status does not. OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026 and set the Sora API to shut down on September 24, 2026, so Google Veo is the one to choose for new work. Sora's edge was longer single shots, up to 20 seconds against Veo's 8, and Veo answers with 7-second extensions, 4K output and reference images. Creators can start free in Flow, and developers moving a Sora 2 pipeline pay the same $0.10 per second on Veo 3.1 Fast, or half that on Veo 3.1 Lite.
Frequently asked questions
Google Veo vs Sora: which one should I use in 2026?
Google Veo, for any new work. OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026 and set the Sora API to shut down on September 24, 2026, while Veo 3.1 is live in Google Flow and the Gemini API. Both score 4.6/5 in our reviews, so availability is what separates them.
Is Sora shut down?
For consumers, yes, and OpenAI set a date for the rest. Its help center says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026. Its deprecations page says the Videos API, sora-2, sora-2-pro and their snapshots would be removed from the API on September 24, 2026, and lists no recommended replacement.
Is Google Veo free to use?
Partly. Flow's pricing section and credits help page say you get 50 credits a day with or without a subscription, enough for 5 Veo 3.1 Lite clips or 2 Veo 3.1 Fast clips, though Google's "Get started with Google Flow" help page still lists a Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra subscription as a requirement. Unused daily credits do not roll over, and free users may not be able to generate videos during peak hours. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month, and the Gemini API has no free tier for Veo.
Is Veo cheaper than Sora?
It depends on the tier. At 720p on the API, Veo 3.1 Lite costs $0.05 per second, half of Sora 2's $0.10, and Veo 3.1 Fast matches it, while the full Veo 3.1 costs $0.40. At 1080p, Veo 3.1 ($0.40) and Veo 3.1 Fast ($0.12) both undercut Sora 2 Pro's $0.70.
How long can Google Veo and Sora videos be?
One Veo generation runs 4, 6 or 8 seconds, and the Gemini API can extend Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast clips by 7 seconds at a time, up to 20 times, for up to 148 seconds at 720p. Sora's API reference listed 4, 8 or 12 second clips, OpenAI's guide said 16 and 20 seconds, and extensions reached a maximum of 120 seconds.
How do I move a Sora API workflow to Veo?
Switch to the Gemini API's Veo 3.1 models (veo-3.1-generate-preview, veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview or veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview), all labeled Preview. Plan for clips of 4, 6 or 8 seconds, 8-second clips for 1080p and 4K, and downloading each video within 2 days, after which Google removes it from its server.
What happens to my Sora videos?
Export them. OpenAI's help center says you can export content you created in Sora from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, recommends doing it as soon as possible, and says it will permanently delete your Sora data after any final export window. It also says purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits can still be used for Codex.