We make Dora, one of several video services you can use from ChatGPT. We use it as the worked example because we can show exactly what it does; the steps have the same shape for the other plugins below.
Why ChatGPT needs a plugin to make video
OpenAI closed the Sora app and website on April 26, 2026 and the Sora API on September 24, 2026 (OpenAI Help Center), so ChatGPT has no built-in video model. A plugin connects ChatGPT to a video service: you add it, connect your account with that service, and the video is made by the service and paid with its credits, not with your ChatGPT plan.
Ways to get a video from inside ChatGPT
| Route | What makes the video | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Runway, Kling AI, Higgsfield or OpenArt plugins | Clips from a prompt or a photo, with each vendor's models | Listed in the ChatGPT directory (OpenAI listings, checked 7 October 2026) |
| HeyGen or VEED plugins | A presenter talking to camera | Avatars and voices |
| invideo or Visla plugins | A produced video from a brief or script | Voiceover and music |
| Descript plugin | Edits a recording you already have | An editor, not a generator |
| Dora AI Video plugin | Short clips and images from a prompt or a photo: 9 video and 7 image models from Google, ByteDance, Kuaishou, xAI and OpenAI | Shows the coin cost of each model before generating; uses a Dora account |
| A custom app by URL (developer mode) | Any service with an MCP server | Actions that create content need ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu (OpenAI) |
| No plugin | Whatever video app you paste the prompt into | Works on any plan: ChatGPT writes the prompt, the app makes the video |
OpenAI says the directory is available across ChatGPT plans, while installing or using a given plugin depends on your plan, workspace, role and region (OpenAI Help Center).
Step by step
- Add the plugin. Open Dora AI Video in ChatGPT, or search for it under Plugins in the ChatGPT sidebar, and add it. For another service, search for its name instead.
- Connect your Dora account. ChatGPT asks you to sign in to Dora. Use the same Apple, Google or email account you use in the app or on doravideo.com. Generating needs a paid Dora plan or credit pack.
- Ask for the video in normal words. For example: “Animate this product photo as a short vertical clip. Use the cheapest model and show me the cost before you start.” You can mention the plugin by name in the chat.
- Answer the four questions. Before generating, Dora's connector has the assistant ask what you have not said: aspect ratio (9:16, 16:9 or 1:1), duration (4, 8 or 12 seconds), sound on or off, and resolution (480p, 720p or 1080p). Higher resolution and sound cost more coins.
- Wait for the file. The assistant checks the job until it is ready and gives you a link to an MP4. In our timed test on 23 October 2026 (through the same Dora server, from Claude) a 4-second 480p vertical clip was ready 30 seconds after the request; longer or premium clips take 1 to 5 minutes.
- If Dora does not appear for you. Your plan, workspace or region may not allow it. On ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu you can add https://doravideo.com/mcp as a custom app in developer mode; on any plan you can write the prompt in ChatGPT and make the video at doravideo.com or in the Dora iPhone app.
Where Dora fits, and where it does not
Dora is for short clips and images from a prompt or a photo, with several model families in one account and the cost in coins shown first. The same account works in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, on iPhone and at doravideo.com. It does not post to social networks or edit clips together: you get a file. To animate your own photo, the connector needs a public https link to the image. Unless you name a model or say “cheapest”, the assistant chooses. For a presenter talking to camera, HeyGen or VEED fit better; for editing a recording, Descript.
More detail: Dora's ChatGPT page, the timed test with ChatGPT and Claude and the server specification.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center, What to know about the Sora discontinuation.
- OpenAI Help Center, Plugins in ChatGPT.
- OpenAI Help Center, Developer mode and MCP apps in ChatGPT.
- OpenAI plugin listings for Runway, Kling AI, Higgsfield, OpenArt, HeyGen, VEED, invideo, Visla and Descript, checked 7 October 2026.
- Dora AI Video in the ChatGPT directory; Dora's connector code and timed test, 23 October 2026.
Questions people ask
Can ChatGPT make videos?
Not on its own since OpenAI closed Sora (the app on April 26, 2026 and the API on September 24, 2026). It can make a video through a plugin from its directory, such as Runway, Kling AI, Higgsfield, HeyGen or Dora AI Video, or through a custom app on ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu.
Is Dora in the ChatGPT app directory?
Yes, as Dora AI Video. Add it, sign in with your Dora account and ask for a video in a chat. Whether you can use it depends on your ChatGPT plan, workspace, role and region.
Do I need a paid ChatGPT plan?
Directory plugins depend on each plugin, your plan and your region. Custom apps that create content need Business, Enterprise or Edu. The video itself is paid with the video service's credits.
How long does a video take?
In our test on 23 October 2026, a 4-second 480p clip through Dora's server was ready in 30 seconds. Longer, higher-resolution or premium clips take 1 to 5 minutes.
Can I turn my own photo into a video in ChatGPT?
Yes, with a plugin that supports image-to-video. With Dora the photo must be a public https link to the image.
Does ChatGPT post the video for me?
Not with Dora: you get an MP4 to download and post yourself.