OpenAI adds paid video option as Sora costs prove unsustainable

OpenAI has shifted its popular Sora video generation app from a free model to a paid system for heavy users, marking a significant pivot as the company grapples with "completely unsustainable" economics behind the AI-powered tool.

GPU Resources Drive Monetization Push

The change, announced Thursday by Sora head Bill Peebles, allows users to purchase bundles of 10 additional video generations for $4 through Apple's App Store after exceeding their daily free limits. The pricing applies across all subscription tiers, including free, Plus, Teams, and Pro users

Currently, users on free, Plus, and Teams plans can generate up to 30 videos daily, while Pro subscribers receive 100 free generations. However, Peebles warned these limits will likely decrease as the platform grows.

"We have been quite amazed by how much our power users want to use Sora, and the economics are currently completely unsustainable," Peebles wrote on X. "We thought 30 free gens/day would be more than enough, but clearly we were wrong!"

The company cited GPU resource constraints as a primary driver for the changes. "Eventually we will need to bring the free gens down to accommodate growth (we won't have enough gpus to do it otherwise!), but we'll be transparent as it happens," Peebles added.

Vision for "New Sora Economy"

Beyond addressing immediate sustainability concerns, OpenAI outlined plans for a broader "new Sora economy" that would allow creators and rights holders to monetize their content. The company plans to pilot a system where users may pay additional fees to use copyrighted characters or celebrity likenesses in videos, with revenue potentially shared with original creators and rights holders.

"We imagine a world where rightsholders have the option to charge extra for cameos of beloved characters and people," Peebles explained. "We will soon pilot monetization, prioritizing people and companies who got onto the platform early."

The monetization announcement comes as Sora faces legal challenges over its "Cameo" feature. Chicago-based Cameo, which offers personalized celebrity videos, sued OpenAI for trademark infringement in federal court Tuesday, arguing the feature name creates consumer confusion and threatens the company's business model. Cameo CEO Steven Galanis called the situation an "existential threat" to his company's operations.

Since launching as a standalone app on September 30, Sora has achieved over 2 million downloads in the United States and Canada alone, quickly reaching No. 1 on Apple's App Store. The app's rapid adoption has exceeded OpenAI's expectations, forcing the company to balance user demand with computational costs while navigating trademark disputes in the competitive AI video generation market.