R 
Runway
The pro creative tooling around the model keeps it relevant.
NOT REALLY
why this verdict
Keep paying — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the video job, so this one still earns its $15/mo.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Sora text-to-video. OpenAI, December 9, 2024 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 1 of 2 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Kling / Luma.
- What the call is worth $180/yr
- $15/mo at the entry paid tier — $180 a year per seat.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked recorded: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- December 9, 2024
- List price
- $15/mo
- Per year
- $180
The backstory
Runway pioneered AI video. Sora raised the bar on raw generation, but Runway survived by being a creative suite — motion brush, camera controls, keyframing, and a workflow filmmakers actually use — rather than a single generate button. Owning the craft layer beats owning the model.
Escape hatches
S 
Sora Higher-fidelity raw generation.
openai.com open_in_new K 
Kling / Luma Competing video models with free credits.
lumalabs.ai open_in_new1 of 2 replacements have a usable free tier.