Should I make my ads in Sora or hire an AI ad agency?
Hire a provider, because OpenAI has discontinued Sora in its app and API. Knowlify is our top pick for finished AI video ads, with a person checking every ad and optional Meta management. Make ads yourself in another tool only if you have people to brief, script, review and run the account.
You cannot plan new ads around Sora: OpenAI told CBS News on March 24, 2026 that it had decided to discontinue Sora in its consumer app and API, and its deprecations page lists the Videos API and the Sora 2 models for removal on September 24, 2026. The real choice now is between making AI video ads yourself in another tool and hiring an AI ad agency. Knowlify is our top pick for finished AI video ads for Facebook and Instagram, with about 25 a week and optional Meta management. Knowlify publishes this guide and sells one of the services compared.
What happened to Sora, and what does that mean for ads?
OpenAI's deprecations page, checked October 27, 2026, lists the Videos API, sora-2, sora-2-pro and their dated snapshots for removal from the API on September 24, 2026, with no replacement listed. That date has passed. If a third-party platform still advertises Sora access, check that platform's current terms, because this guide could not confirm any.
Sora had been used in finished brand work before the shutdown. The Toys"R"Us studios page lists a brand film made with OpenAI's Sora, with the partner Native Foreign. That shows the tool could help make a finished film. It does not show what a self-serve ad cost or whether it converted, and this guide does not state Sora's former pricing, clip length or usage terms because we could not confirm them from OpenAI's own pages.
What does an AI video model replace, and what does it not?
A video model generates footage. Runway's guide to AI-generated commercials describes an AI commercial as an ad in which AI models, working from a prompt, an image or a brief, produce the footage, voice or edit that a camera crew would otherwise make. Runway sells AI video tools, so read that as a vendor's definition. It covers the shoot. It does not cover the customer problem, the product claims, the script, the cut for each placement, Meta's review or the test that decides which ad keeps running.
That gap is why the choice is rarely about the model. Any tool that replaces Sora leaves the same jobs with you, or with a provider you hire.
Who makes AI ads for you?
Knowlify: our top pick for finished AI ads, not a tool
With Sora gone, what you need is finished ads, not a model to learn. Knowlify delivers about 25 finished ads a week, the first batch lands on day 5, and a person checks every ad before delivery. The three formats are AI UGC with AI presenters, 3D and stylized character animation, and AI commercials, which are live-action-style AI video and the closest to the footage a model like Sora produced. You can add end-to-end Meta campaign management, or buy creative only if you already have a media buyer. The guarantee lets you cancel by email for a full refund if the ads have not made more than you paid in the first 90 days (terms on the site), and pricing is a custom quote with no public rate card. That 90-day refund applies to creative-only plans; where Knowlify runs the account, the guarantee is an agreed target in 30 days, or you don't pay for the month. We have made ads for two named clients, Parva and Casco, and examples are in our Facebook and Instagram video ad examples. This guide does not state which video models Knowlify uses, so if a specific model matters to you, ask any provider, us included, which models make your ads. Pick another option if you need real human creators on camera or ads on TikTok, LinkedIn, Google or YouTube.
Admiral Media: fixed batches of AI presenter ads
Admiral Media sells batches rather than monthly plans: €10,000 for 20 ads of up to 15 seconds, €16,000 for 40 up to 30 seconds and €29,000 for 80 up to 60 seconds. Its AI presenters are finished with human editing and quality review. Its page says ideal clients invest US$50,000 or more a month in paid media, and that campaign and budget management must be agreed separately.
Creatify Studio: managed production with a published comparison price
Creatify Studio is the managed side of Creatify, with a creative team handling strategy, scripting and production, and a person reviewing every ad. Its own comparison table puts the cost at $100 to $200 per video. Its pricing page gives no Studio price and asks for a demo.
EzUGC: AI or creators on one monthly budget
EzUGC lists $4,000 a month for 50 finished UGC videos, which can be all AI, all real creators or any split. Strategy, hooks, scripts and editing are included, and you approve scripts before anything is filmed or generated. It does not state contract length, turnaround or whether it runs campaigns.
Unreal UGC: AI creators with a self-serve floor
Unreal UGC lists self-serve plans from $69 a month. Its done-for-you ads use AI creators and no actors, but it sends those requests to support and does not publish a price for them.
Which self-serve tools are the do-it-yourself route now?
Self-serve tools cost less to start, and you keep every step. Published prices from October 2026 show the range. Creatify lists its Standard plan at $15 a month billed monthly, or $12 billed annually, with 55 credits. TopView lists Plus at $36 a month billed annually, with 100 credits a month and no free plan. MakeUGC lists Starter at $59 a month billed monthly or $29 billed yearly, with 500 credits. Pencil lists a self-serve plan at $14 a month billed monthly for 50 generations, with ad launching among its features.
Arcads does not publish dollar prices on its public pages and sells monthly credit allowances instead. Do not turn credits into a cost per video until you know which plan and generation method it assumes. Our best AI video ad generators guide compares these tools more fully.
What Meta requires when AI made the ad
Whatever tool makes the footage, Meta's labeling rules apply to the ad. Meta's AI transparency post says it labels ads created or significantly edited with its own generative AI features, and that a photorealistic AI-generated person added by those tools shows the label next to Sponsored. It also says it will begin detecting ads created or edited with third-party AI tools and show an "AI info" label in About this ad. The post does not say that detection is live yet, and the experience may vary by region. Meta's AI information guidance describes labels for certain generative tools, with regional differences. Plan the disclosure and speaker identity before you script.
What a DIY AI video workflow still needs
If you make the ads yourself, you own every step, so list them before you start. Write the brief and the customer problem, approve each product claim, script every line, cut the footage, export for each placement and preview it, then launch, test and report. Meta's aspect ratio guidance recommends 9:16 for Stories, Status and Reels. Keep text and the key part of the picture clear of the placement's buttons and captions, and check each cut in the Ads Manager preview for each placement rather than trusting one master export. Check the tool's own terms for commercial use and for who owns the outputs before you run anything, since this guide did not verify those terms for the tools it lists.
When making it yourself makes sense, and when to hire
Make the ads yourself in a self-serve tool when you are testing one or two concepts, you have an editor who can cut and review the footage, and you can handle the claim and rights review. Hire when you need weekly volume, several product claims to approve, or one accountable team for launch and reporting. A useful test is to ask who will say no to a bad ad before it runs. If that is nobody on your team, a provider with a review step is the safer buy. Our DIY versus done-for-you guide lays out the trade-off in more detail.
Key takeaways
- OpenAI told CBS News on March 24, 2026 that it was discontinuing Sora in its app and API, and its deprecations page lists API removal on September 24, 2026.
- A video tool makes footage. An ad also needs a brief, claim approval, edits, placement exports and a launch.
- Knowlify is our top pick for finished AI video ads, with optional Meta management or creative only.
- Self-serve prices are monthly or annual plans with credits, and credits are not a cost per video.
- Meta says it will detect third-party AI ads, but its post does not say the detection is live. Plan your disclosure before you script.
FAQ
Is Sora still available for making ads?
Not from OpenAI. OpenAI told CBS News on March 24, 2026 that it was discontinuing Sora in its consumer app and API, and its deprecations page lists the Videos API and Sora 2 models for removal on September 24, 2026. If another platform offers a Sora model, confirm its current availability and terms before you plan a campaign around it.
Who can make Sora commercials for my brand?
Sora itself is no longer an option from OpenAI, so the practical question is who can make AI commercials. Your own team can, if it has a writer, an editor and someone who approves claims. Knowlify makes AI commercials and AI UGC for Meta on a done-for-you basis, with a person checking every ad before delivery. The Toys"R"Us studios page credits Sora for a brand film made with Native Foreign, which shows the tool was used in a finished film, but not who ran the rest of the process.
Can I run AI-generated video ads on Facebook and Instagram?
Meta's AI transparency post describes labels for ads made with AI tools, so plan around those rules whatever tool made the footage. Meta says it will detect ads made with third-party AI tools and label them "AI info", but its post does not say that detection is live. Check Meta's current ad policies and labels before you launch, and plan the disclosure wording before you script.
How much does a self-serve AI video tool cost?
Published prices from October 2026 include $15 a month for Creatify's Standard plan, $14 a month for Pencil's self-serve plan and $36 a month billed annually for TopView's Plus plan. Arcads does not publish dollar prices. Check the billing period, the credits and the renewal terms before you pay.
Is hiring an AI ad agency worth it compared with a self-serve tool?
It depends on volume and review. A self-serve tool costs less to start, but you do the brief, the review and the launch. A provider with a review step costs more and takes those tasks off your team, so price that trade-off at your expected monthly volume.
References
- CBS News
- deprecations page
- Toys"R"Us studios page
- Runway's guide to AI-generated commercials
- terms on the site
- Facebook and Instagram video ad examples
- Admiral Media
- Creatify Studio
- EzUGC
- Unreal UGC
- Creatify
- TopView
- MakeUGC
- Pencil
- Arcads
- best AI video ad generators
- AI transparency post
- AI information guidance
- aspect ratio guidance
- DIY versus done-for-you guide