Comparative Analysis

Veo 3.1 vs Sora 2

Last updated April 2026

VidScore benchmark data positions Google Veo 3.1 and OpenAI Sora 2 as the premium tier of AI video generation. Veo leads photorealism at 9.1/10 versus Sora's 8.5/10, a 7% gap. Both cost between $0.10-0.15/s, with Sora offering 120-second max length versus Veo's 90 seconds, a 33% advantage. Sora scores 8.9/10 on scene complexity, 11% above Veo's 8.0/10 for multi-subject handling. A 90-second clip costs $13.50 on Veo versus $9.00 on Sora. Veo excels at visual fidelity; Sora excels at narrative complexity and longer duration.

Benchmark Data

Metric
Veo 3.1
Sora 2
Cost/second
$0.15/s
$0.10/sWinner
5-second video cost
$0.75
$0.50Winner
Generation speed (5s)
90sWinner
120s
Max resolution
4K
1080pWinner
Max duration
8s
20sWinner
Text-to-Video
Yes
Yes
Image-to-Video
Yes
Yes

Cost Breakdown

Duration
Veo 3.1
Sora 2
5 seconds
$0.75
$0.50
10 seconds
$1.50
$1.00
30 seconds
$4.50
$3.00
60 seconds
$9.00
$6.00

When to Choose

Choose Veo 3.1

  • Maximum photorealism: Veo scores 9.1/10 versus Sora's 8.5/10, a 7% lead
  • Natural environment scenes where Veo achieves 92% physical accuracy
  • Google Cloud ecosystem with Vertex AI integration for scalable pipelines
  • Lighting and color accuracy is critical for brand-consistent content

Choose Sora 2

  • Longer generation at 120 seconds vs Veo's 90 seconds, a 33% advantage
  • Complex multi-subject scenes: Sora scores 11% higher at 8.9/10 on complexity
  • Lower cost at $0.10/s vs Veo's $0.15/s, saving 33% per second
  • OpenAI ecosystem integration with GPT and DALL-E in unified workflows

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which looks more realistic, Veo or Sora?

Veo 3.1 edges ahead on pure photorealism with a 9.1/10 VidScore score versus Sora 2's 8.5/10, a 7% advantage. Veo excels at lighting accuracy (93% physically correct) and texture detail. Sora produces slightly more stylized outputs but handles complex scene compositions 11% better with its 8.9/10 scene complexity score.

Is Sora cheaper than Veo?

Yes. Sora 2 costs $0.10/s versus Veo 3.1's $0.15/s, a 33% savings. A 90-second video (Veo's max) costs $13.50 on Veo versus $9.00 on Sora. Sora also supports 120-second clips at $12.00, still cheaper than Veo's shorter 90-second output. Monthly savings reach $270 for teams producing 60 minutes of content.

Which supports longer videos?

Sora 2 generates up to 120 seconds per clip versus Veo 3.1's 90-second cap, a 33% longer window. A 2-minute Sora generation costs $12.00. Achieving the same on Veo requires 2 generations ($20.25 total) with a visible stitch point. For short-form content under 90 seconds, both perform equally well.