A PowerTerm alternative before support ends on June 30, 2027
Ericom stopped selling PowerTerm in March 2025 and stops supporting it on June 30, 2027. WND Terminal takes over your 3270 and 5250 sessions, and this page shows how to move in 30 days.
WND Terminal is a PowerTerm alternative for IBM mainframe (3270) and IBM i (5250) sessions, on Windows, natively on Mac, and in a browser through a gateway you host. It doesn’t read PowerTerm’s setup files. Instead, WND maps your 3270 sessions into a WND Terminal policy during a free proof of value, well before Ericom ends PowerTerm support on June 30, 2027.
PowerTerm end of life, in Ericom’s words
Ericom published one notice for every PowerTerm product. These are its dates and terms.
- March 2025
- End of sale. Ericom stopped accepting orders from new customers for PowerTerm licenses and subscriptions.
- Until June 2027
- Existing customers can renew support only on a reduced support basis. No renewal runs past June 30, 2027.
- June 30, 2027
- End of support. After this date Ericom provides no support services for any PowerTerm product.
- After that
- The notice doesn’t change your right to use PowerTerm under its license. You can keep running it, but nobody at Ericom will answer when something breaks.
From Ericom’s end-of-life announcement, which covers every PowerTerm product that wasn’t already retired. It doesn’t name a replacement or a migration path. Ericom itself has been part of Cradlepoint, an Ericsson company, since April 2023.
At a glance
WND Terminal facts come from its documentation. PowerTerm facts come from Ericom. Where we couldn’t confirm something, the cell says so.
| Capability | WND Terminal | PowerTerm (Ericom) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Sold and supported. An SBOM ships with every release | Withdrawn from sale in March 2025. Support ends June 30, 2027 |
| IBM Z mainframe (3270) | Yes. TN3270E (RFC 2355) with LU names, screen models 2 to 5 | Yes. TN3270 and TN3270E |
| IBM i (5250) | Yes. 24×80, 27×132, IBM’s enhanced 5250 graphical windows, printers | Yes. TN5250 |
| VT, Wyse, ANSI and other terminal types | No. WND Terminal is a 3270 and 5250 emulator | Yes. Ericom lists more than 35 terminal types, from VT52 to VT525, Wyse and Televideo to HP 700 and Tandem 6530 |
| Windows | Yes. MSI for IT, per-user setup.exe, Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop | Yes. Pro Series and InterConnect Windows Edition |
| Mac | Native app for Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 11 or later | InterConnect Mac OS X edition, withdrawn from sale with the rest of PowerTerm |
| Browser | Yes. A gateway you host, with Entra ID, Okta, Google or OIDC sign-in | WebConnect HostView, withdrawn from sale |
| Reads PowerTerm setup files | No. WND maps your 3270 sessions into a WND Terminal policy during the proof of value | n/a |
| Reads PCOMM, Reflection, BlueZone and ACS files on the same share | Yes, with the Migration readiness report | n/a |
| Scripting | Short readable scripts (type, press, wait, move) and PCOMM .mac import. No VBA | PowerTerm Script Language (PSL), an extension of Tcl. VBA in the Pro Series |
| Encryption to the host | TLS 1.2 or later through the operating system’s TLS, FIPS 140 validated on Windows and macOS | Check with vendor |
| Card-number and pattern masking | Yes, set by IT | Check with vendor |
| Audit log to Splunk or CEF/syslog | Yes. Security events, never screen contents or keystrokes | Check with vendor |
| Price | $99 (Desktop) or $159 (Enterprise) per user per year, 100-user minimum | No longer sold to new customers |
PowerTerm facts come from Ericom’s own pages, listed at the foot of this page.
What moves, and what needs a person
The connections and keyboard layouts are the quick part. The scripts and the non-IBM sessions take a person’s time.
| In PowerTerm today | In WND Terminal | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
| 3270 connections (host, port, TLS, LU name, screen model) | A connection in IT’s policy, deployed with Group Policy, Intune, a Mac configuration profile or policy.json. Users can’t change IT’s connections | WND maps them during the proof of value. You check them |
| 5250 connections (host, device name, screen size) | IBM i connections in the same policy | Set up with the 3270 connections, in the proof of value |
| Backup host addresses | Each connection lists backup addresses, tried in order when connecting and reconnecting | Moves with the connection |
| Custom keyboard layouts | WND Terminal’s defaults match familiar emulators. Custom layouts are made again as WND keyboard maps | A person, once for each distinct layout |
| IND$FILE file transfer | Supported in DFT mode. CUT mode is not supported | Check the transfer settings PowerTerm keeps in ptdef.pts, then test a real transfer |
| 3287 and IBM i printer sessions | Supported, with host print transform for IBM i | Set up with the display connections |
PSL scripts (.psl) | Not run. Short ones become WND scripts. Spreadsheet loads and list exports usually become Fill from Excel and Capture all pages | Needs a person |
| VBA macros, and scripts recorded in VBScript or JScript | Not run | Needs a person |
| Programs that drive PowerTerm through an API | Reviewed with you in discovery | Needs a person |
| VT, Wyse, ANSI, HP, Data General, Siemens and Tandem sessions | Not supported | Needs a person and another product |
| WebConnect and HostView browser users | WND Terminal in a browser, through a gateway you host (Enterprise plan) | Your team installs the gateway |
| PCOMM, Reflection, BlueZone or ACS files on the same share | Read by the Migration readiness report and sorted into “imports cleanly,” “imports with small notes” or “needs a person” | The report does it in minutes |
WND Terminal doesn’t read PowerTerm’s own setup or keyboard files, and the Migration readiness report doesn’t list PowerTerm files.
A plain 30-day move off PowerTerm
Week by week, for the 3270 and 5250 users. The VT and other sessions follow their own plan.
Week 1. Count and collect
List every host PowerTerm connects to and the terminal type for each. Copy the setup files, keyboard files and .psl scripts into one folder. Split the sessions into 3270, 5250 and everything else. Install WND Terminal on 5 to 20 PCs and agree the success criteria.
Week 2. Build connections and keys
WND maps your 3270 sessions into one policy, with the 5250 and printer sessions next to them. Remake the custom keyboard layouts. Decide for each script whether to rewrite it, replace it with Fill from Excel or Capture all pages, or retire it. Test file transfer and printing.
Week 3. Run both side by side
A pilot team works in WND Terminal next to PowerTerm, on the real hosts, against the success criteria. If a screen looks wrong, the flight recorder captures the data stream so WND can fix it. Package the MSI for Group Policy or Intune, and a configuration profile for Macs.
Week 4. Roll out in waves
Push the app and the policy group by group. Keep PowerTerm installed for two weeks after each wave, as Fifth Third did. Once everyone has moved, set AllowOtherHosts to false so people use only IT’s connections, then remove PowerTerm.
Thirty days fits an estate where most people work on 3270 or 5250 screens and the scripts are few. Larger estates repeat week 4 with more waves. Union Pacific moved 7,800 users in eight weeks, in four waves. The proof of value is free and takes two to four weeks, so weeks 1 to 3 need no purchase.
What changes when you move
- Support after June 2027.WND Software sells WND Terminal and supports it with the people who built it. Every release ships with an SBOM, so your security team can track each component.
- Encryption from the operating system.WND Terminal uses SChannel on Windows and Apple’s Security framework on macOS, both FIPS 140 validated, for TLS 1.2 or later. It carries no cryptography of its own.
- One product on Windows, Mac and the web.PowerTerm came in separate editions for Windows, Linux, Mac and the web. WND Terminal is one app on Windows and Mac, and the browser version uses the same policy and license.
- Fewer scripts to keep alive.If your PSL scripts load a spreadsheet into an entry screen or page through a long list, Fill from Excel and Capture all pages do that with no script at all.
- A license you can count.The license is checked on the computer, with no phone-home. The usage dashboard shows who used WND Terminal in the last 30, 60 and 90 days, by person and department.
- The gaps, said plainly.No VT or other character-terminal emulation, no VBA and no 3270 double-byte code pages. If a group depends on one of these, plan another product for that group before June 30, 2027.
What customers changed when they switched
From WND’s published customer stories. The stories don’t name the previous vendor.
- Union Pacific1,900 session profiles and 340 keyboard maps imported. 7,800 users moved in eight weeks, against a nine-month estimate.
- Fifth Third BankRan both emulators side by side for two weeks per wave. About 7,000 PCs moved in 11 weeks. Emulator bill down 81%.
- The Home Depot2,800 Mac users moved off Citrix. 38 Citrix servers retired. Login to the first screen went from 90 seconds to 5.
Other comparisons
PowerTerm facts on this page come from Ericom’s end-of-life announcement, Ericom’s PowerTerm product page, the PowerTerm Script Language reference and Ericom’s April 2023 press release, checked in October 2026.
Competitor information is based on public sources as of October 2026. Check with each vendor for current capabilities. “Check with vendor” means we could not confirm the capability from public sources. PowerTerm is a trademark of Ericom Software. IBM, IBM i and Personal Communications are trademarks of IBM. Reflection, Rumba, Extra!, HostExplorer and BlueZone are trademarks of Rocket Software. WND Software is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.
Questions
When does PowerTerm support end?
Ericom ends all PowerTerm support services after June 30, 2027. It stopped taking orders from new customers in March 2025, and support renewals until then are on a reduced support basis.
Can we keep using PowerTerm after June 30, 2027?
Ericom says the notice doesn't change your right to use PowerTerm under its license. You would be running it with no support from Ericom.
Can WND Terminal import PowerTerm session files?
No. WND maps your 3270 sessions into a WND Terminal policy during the proof of value, and custom keyboard layouts are made again as WND keyboard maps. PSL scripts and VBA macros need a person.
Does WND Terminal replace PowerTerm's VT and Wyse sessions?
No. WND Terminal is a 3270 and 5250 emulator. Plan another product for those users before support ends.
What does WND Terminal cost?
Desktop is $99 per user per year and Enterprise is $159, with a 100-user minimum. The proof of value is free and runs two to four weeks on your own systems.
Map your PowerTerm sessions before June 30, 2027.
Start a free proof of value. WND maps your 3270 sessions and a pilot team works in WND Terminal next to PowerTerm. You decide in two to four weeks.