PowerBuilder Versions and Support Lifecycle: Release Dates and End-of-Life

Two questions sit behind most PowerBuilder support and modernization conversations: what version are we actually on, and is it still supported. Neither should require a research project to answer. This page is the reference — a dated release history of the Appeon-era lines from 2017 to the current 2025 R2 release, where 12.6 and earlier stand, and a plain-language explanation of how Appeon's support lifecycle works, including the end-of-life dates that are already published.

The single most important fact first: PowerBuilder is actively developed and supported in 2026. Appeon, an independent company, develops, sells and supports it under an agreement with SAP announced on 5 July 2016. The current release, PowerBuilder 2025 R2, shipped on 3 June 2026. “PowerBuilder is dead” is a myth that pre-dates the Appeon era; the reality is a product on a regular release cadence with a documented support policy.

The two eras of PowerBuilder

Every version falls into one of two eras, and the difference decides whether you have a supported platform or a frozen one:

• Before Appeon — PowerBuilder 12.6 and earlier. PowerBuilder was Powersoft's product until Sybase merged with Powersoft in 1995; SAP acquired Sybase in 2010, and 12.6 shipped under the SAP brand. SAP discontinued mainstream maintenance on 30 June 2018, and there is no free upgrade from 12.6 to Appeon PowerBuilder. These releases still run, and plenty of mission-critical systems still depend on them, but if you are here, support is something you arrange privately, not something you receive from a vendor. If you are planning the move, our PowerBuilder Sybase to Appeon migration guide covers the nine surprises we hit in real migrations and the workaround for each.
• Appeon era — PowerBuilder 2017 through 2025 R2. On a published lifecycle: each line has a defined standard-support window and, for selected releases, a longer LTS window. The oldest lines have already reached end of life.

Appeon-era release history

Release dates for the Appeon-era lines, oldest to newest. Dates are the general-availability release dates as recorded in the public version history:

The “position in 2026” column reflects Appeon's Product Availability Matrix as of September 2026 and is a summary, not a substitute for the live page. End-of-life dates move as new releases ship, and LTS designations are only assigned to selected versions after they have been on the market for a while. Always confirm the current position of your exact version against Appeon's Product Availability Matrix.

Next on Appeon's public roadmap is PowerBuilder 2025 R3, which lists Claude AI integration in the IDE among its features. No release date is published: Appeon describes its cadence as release cycles of 10 to 12 months and calls the roadmap a minimum plan that can change. What you can already do with AI on 2025 R2 is covered in Claude Code with PowerBuilder 2025 R2.

How Appeon's support lifecycle works

Appeon publishes an End of Life policy that sets minimum support windows. The two numbers worth remembering:

• Non-LTS version: at least 24 months of standard support (product fixes) from release.
• LTS version: at least 60 months of standard support, with at least 18 months of overlap with the next LTS version so you are never forced into a rushed jump. Only selected major versions or revisions receive the LTS designation.

Crucially, an end-of-support date never arrives silently. Appeon commits to publishing an End of Life notice at least 12 months ahead for a non-LTS version and at least 18 months ahead for an LTS version. That notice window is your planning runway.

The end-of-life dates already published

The most relevant concrete example for teams on a recent-but-not-current version is the 2021 line. Per Appeon's official notice:

There is no LTS version of PowerBuilder 2021 — the recommended path is to move to 2022 / 2022 R2 or newer. The same pattern applies as each older line ages out: the notice is published well ahead, a supported upgrade target is named, and the jump is small if you do not let the gap grow.

What this means for you

Line your situation up against three cases:

1. On 12.6 or earlier. You have a frozen but working platform. There is no ticking vendor deadline, but there is a slow-moving talent and platform-compatibility risk. Upgrading is a decision you make on your timeline, not a fire drill. Until then, PowerBuilder support keeps the application running on the version you have.
2. On an aged Appeon line (2017–2021). You are past or near end of life on a version that is only a short hop from a supported one. This is the cheapest upgrade you will ever do — do not let it drift into becoming a big one.
3. On 2022 or 2022 R2. Both lines passed End of Mainstream Maintenance on 7 May 2026 and reach End of Life on 7 May 2027. No further maintenance releases are coming; the next hop — 2022 R3 or 2025 R2 — is a small one, and this is the year to make it.
4. On 2022 R3, 2025 or 2025 R2. You are supported. The work here is staying current with revisions and planning the next hop before its notice window, not reacting to it. One dated item is already on the calendar: .NET 8 goes out of support on 10 November 2026, and which PowerBuilder features need which .NET runtime depends on your line and build — see PowerBuilder and .NET 8 end of support.