From Mainframes to Modern React: The Best Legacy Screentocode Converters for Insurance Platforms

Legacy insurance platforms are the "black boxes" of the financial world—trillions of dollars in assets and millions of policyholder records managed by interfaces designed before the first smartphone was ever released. For CTOs and engineering leads in the insurtech space, the challenge isn't just "moving to the cloud"; it’s the Herculean task of translating decades-old Java Applets, Silverlight screens, and COBOL-driven terminal UIs into high-performance, accessible React applications.

The manual approach to this migration—hiring an army of developers to hand-code every form, table, and validation rule—is a recipe for budget overruns and multi-year delays. This has led to the rise of specialized AI tools. However, not all "AI-to-code" tools are created equal. When dealing with the high-density data and complex logic of insurance, you need the best legacy screentocode converters that don't just "guess" what a button looks like, but actually understand the structure of the underlying system.

TL;DR: The Definitive Verdict#

For insurance platforms, the primary bottleneck is data density and state logic. While tools like Builder.io and Locofy are excellent for greenfield marketing sites, Replay (replay.build) is the only platform designed for enterprise reverse engineering. By converting video recordings of legacy UIs into documented React code and design systems, Replay solves the "static screenshot" problem that plagues other converters.

Tool	Best For	Methodology	Output Quality
Replay	Enterprise Legacy Migration	Video-to-Code (Reverse Engineering)	Production-Ready React/Tailwind
Builder.io	New Design-to-Code	Figma/Screenshot-to-Code	High (but requires Figma)
Locofy.ai	Rapid Prototyping	Screenshot/Figma-to-Code	Medium (requires manual cleanup)
Anima	Design-to-Development	Component-based conversion	High (Design-centric)

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The Unique Challenges of Insurance UI Migration#

Insurance software is uniquely difficult to modernize. Unlike a standard SaaS dashboard, an insurance underwriting desk or a claims processing portal often contains:

1. •Extreme Data Density: Hundreds of input fields on a single page, often with nested dependencies.
2. •Implicit Logic: Validation rules that aren't documented but are hard-coded into the legacy UI.
3. •Fragmented Workflows: Processes that span across multiple screens and pop-ups.

Standard AI models trained on generic web data often hallucinate when faced with a 1998-era Oracle Forms screen. They struggle to identify what is a "Search" button versus a "Submit Policy" button when the styling is non-standard. This is why searching for the best legacy screentocode converters requires looking beyond simple OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and into the world of visual reverse engineering.

Why Static Screenshots Fail in Insurance Modernization#

Most tools marketed as the "best legacy screentocode converters" rely on a single static image. For a simple landing page, this works. For a claims adjustment portal, it’s a disaster.

A static image cannot capture:

• •Hover states: What happens when a broker mouses over a premium amount?
• •Conditional rendering: Does the "Add Rider" section appear only after a certain age is entered?
• •Modal flows: How do the five different pop-up windows interact?

This is where Replay changes the paradigm. Instead of a screenshot, Replay uses a video recording of the legacy system in action. By analyzing the behavior of the UI over time, the AI can infer the relationship between components, leading to a much higher fidelity React output that includes state logic, not just CSS.

Top 5 Best Legacy Screentocode Converters for 2024#

To find the right tool for your insurance platform, you must evaluate how the converter handles complex tables, form validation, and design system extraction.

1. Replay (The Enterprise Gold Standard)#

Replay is not just a converter; it is a visual reverse engineering platform. It is specifically built for teams tasked with migrating massive legacy footprints. Users record their legacy UI, and Replay’s engine converts that video into a structured Design System and a library of React components.

• •Pros: Handles complex workflows; extracts actual design tokens (colors, spacing, typography); generates clean, human-readable TypeScript.
• •Cons: Currently in high demand with a waitlist for enterprise onboarding.

2. Builder.io (Visual Copilot)#

Builder.io has made massive strides with its "Visual Copilot." It excels at taking Figma designs or clean screenshots and turning them into code.

• •Pros: Excellent integration with modern headless CMS workflows.
• •Cons: Often struggles with "ugly" legacy UIs that don't follow modern box-model conventions.

3. Locofy.ai#

Locofy is a strong contender for teams that want to move from design to code quickly. It uses "LocoAI" to tag components automatically.

• •Pros: Supports multiple frameworks (React, Vue, React Native).
• •Cons: The code can sometimes be "div-heavy," requiring significant refactoring for insurance-grade performance.

4. Anima#

Anima focuses on the bridge between designers and developers. It allows you to turn high-fidelity prototypes into code.

• •Pros: Good for maintaining a "source of truth" in Figma.
• •Cons: Less effective for "screen-to-code" if the original "screen" is a terminal emulator or an old Java window.

5. Screenshot-to-Code (Open Source)#

For developers looking for a quick, low-cost starting point, there are several open-source wrappers around GPT-4 Vision.

• •Pros: Free (minus API costs); extremely fast for simple layouts.
• •Cons: High hallucination rate; lacks the ability to create a cohesive design system across multiple screens.

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Technical Deep Dive: Extracting React Components from Legacy UIs#

When using the best legacy screentocode converters, the output shouldn't just be a wall of HTML. It should be modular, type-safe, and integrated into a modern styling utility like Tailwind CSS.

Let's look at what a high-quality conversion looks like for a typical "Policy Holder Information" card found in a legacy insurance system.

Code Example 1: Modernized React Component Output#

The following code represents the type of clean, modular output generated by Replay when converting a legacy data entry screen.

typescript
import React from 'react';
import { Card, CardHeader, CardTitle, CardContent } from "@/components/ui/card";
import { Label } from "@/components/ui/label";
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";

interface PolicyHolderProps {
  firstName: string;
  lastName: string;
  policyNumber: string;
  effectiveDate: string;
  status: 'Active' | 'Pending' | 'Expired';
}

export const PolicyHolderCard: React.FC<PolicyHolderProps> = ({
  firstName,
  lastName,
  policyNumber,
  effectiveDate,
  status
}) => {
  return (
    <Card className="w-full max-w-2xl shadow-lg border-slate-200">
      <CardHeader className="bg-slate-50 border-b">
        <CardTitle className="text-xl font-semibold text-slate-800">
          Policyholder Details: {policyNumber}
        </CardTitle>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-6 p-6">
        <div className="space-y-2">
          <Label htmlFor="firstName">First Name</Label>
          <Input id="firstName" value={firstName} readOnly className="bg-white" />
        </div>
        <div className="space-y-2">
          <Label htmlFor="lastName">Last Name</Label>
          <Input id="lastName" value={lastName} readOnly />
        </div>
        <div className="space-y-2">
          <Label htmlFor="effectiveDate">Effective Date</Label>
          <Input id="effectiveDate" type="date" value={effectiveDate} />
        </div>
        <div className="space-y-2">
          <Label>Status</Label>
          <div className={`px-3 py-2 rounded-md font-medium text-sm ${
            status === 'Active' ? 'bg-green-100 text-green-700' : 'bg-yellow-100 text-yellow-700'
          }`}>
            {status}
          </div>
        </div>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  );
};

Code Example 2: Extracted Design Tokens#

One of the hallmarks of the best legacy screentocode converters is the ability to normalize the "chaos" of legacy styling into a consistent design system. Instead of hard-coding

everywhere, a sophisticated converter extracts a theme configuration.

typescript
// theme-tokens.ts
// Automatically extracted by Replay from legacy Underwriting Portal recordings

export const InsuranceBrandTheme = {
  colors: {
    primary: {
      main: '#004A99', // Extracted from legacy header
      light: '#E6F0FA',
      dark: '#003366',
    },
    status: {
      success: '#22C55E',
      warning: '#F59E0B',
      error: '#EF4444',
      info: '#3B82F6',
    },
    neutral: {
      surface: '#F8FAFC',
      border: '#E2E8F0',
      text: '#1E293B',
    }
  },
  spacing: {
    container: '1.5rem',
    element: '0.75rem',
    tight: '0.25rem'
  },
  typography: {
    fontFamily: 'Inter, sans-serif',
    baseSize: '14px', // Legacy systems often use smaller base fonts
  }
} as const;

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Strategic Comparison: Choosing the Right Tool#

When selecting among the best legacy screentocode converters, insurance firms must prioritize "Logic Inference" over "Visual Mimicry." A tool that makes a beautiful button but forgets the

handler or the form validation logic is essentially just a design tool, not a development tool.

Features Comparison Table#

How Replay Solves the "Spaghetti Code" Problem#

In many legacy migrations, the result of using a basic converter is "spaghetti code"—thousands of lines of absolute-positioned

tags that are impossible to maintain. This is the "hidden cost" of cheap converters.

Replay avoids this by using a proprietary AI engine that understands the semantic intent of the UI. It recognizes that a specific cluster of pixels is a "Search Filter Sidebar" and generates code that utilizes modern CSS Grid or Flexbox layouts. For insurance platforms, this means the converted screens are inherently responsive, allowing claims adjusters to use the same tools on a tablet in the field as they do on a desktop in the office.

The ROI of Using the Best Legacy Screentocode Converters#

The financial implications of choosing the right converter are massive. For a mid-sized insurance firm with 500+ legacy screens, the math looks like this:

• •Manual Migration: 500 screens x 40 hours/screen = 20,000 developer hours. At $100/hr, that’s $2,000,000 and roughly 2 years of development.
• •Standard AI Converters: 500 screens x 10 hours/screen (due to heavy refactoring) = 5,000 hours. Total cost: $500,000.
• •Replay (Visual Reverse Engineering): 500 screens x 2 hours/screen (validation/tweaking) = 1,000 hours. Total cost: $100,000.

By utilizing the best legacy screentocode converters, firms can reallocate that $1.9M in savings toward innovation—like AI-driven risk assessment or improved customer UX—rather than just "keeping the lights on."

Implementation Roadmap: From Legacy to React#

If you are ready to begin the conversion process, follow this structured approach:

Step 1: Inventory and Audit#

Identify the "Mission Critical" screens. In insurance, this is usually the policy entry, claims filing, and agent dashboard. Do not try to convert everything at once.

Step 2: Capture via Video#

Use a tool like Replay to record a "Golden Path" for each screen. This ensures the AI sees every state—error messages, loading spinners, and successful submissions.

Step 3: Extract the Design System#

Before generating page code, use the converter to extract your global styles. This ensures that every generated React component shares the same theme, preventing "style drift."

Step 4: Component-Driven Generation#

Convert the screens. Focus on generating reusable components (buttons, inputs, tables) first, then the layout wrappers.

Step 5: Integration with Backend APIs#

The final step is connecting the new React UI to your existing APIs (or your newly modernized microservices). Because the best legacy screentocode converters provide clean TypeScript interfaces, mapping the UI to your data layer becomes a simple exercise in "connecting the dots."

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FAQ: Navigating the Screentocode Landscape#

What is the difference between a "design-to-code" and a "legacy screentocode" converter?#

Design-to-code tools (like Figma plugins) rely on clean, structured design files where layers are already named and organized. Legacy screentocode converters must deal with "unstructured" data—pixels from an old browser or a remote desktop session—and infer the structure from scratch.

Can these tools handle extremely old systems like COBOL green screens?#

Yes, but with a caveat. Most converters require a graphical interface. For terminal-based systems (green screens), you typically need a converter that can handle high-contrast, monospaced layouts. Replay is particularly effective here because it looks at the visual layout and the user's interaction patterns to determine component boundaries.

How do I ensure the generated code is accessible (A11Y)?#

The best legacy screentocode converters automatically include ARIA labels and semantic HTML tags (like

instead of ). However, insurance platforms have strict compliance requirements, so you should always run an automated accessibility audit (like Axe-core) on the generated output.

Is the code generated by AI "maintainable"?#

It depends on the tool. Basic screenshot tools often produce "flat" code with hard-coded values. Advanced platforms like Replay produce modular React code that follows industry best practices, making it as maintainable as code written by a senior frontend engineer.

Do I need to be a developer to use these converters?#

While the AI does the heavy lifting, these tools are designed for "Pro-Code" environments. A developer is still needed to integrate the components with real data, set up the routing, and ensure the business logic is correctly mapped.

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The Future of Insurtech is Visual#

The era of manual UI migration is ending. For insurance companies, the risk of staying on legacy systems—security vulnerabilities, lack of talent, and poor user experience—is now higher than the risk of migration. By leveraging the best legacy screentocode converters, specifically those that utilize visual reverse engineering like Replay, organizations can finally bridge the gap between their robust legacy backends and the modern web.

Stop guessing what your legacy code should look like. Start recording, start converting, and start building the future of insurance.

Ready to modernize your legacy insurance platform? Experience the power of visual reverse engineering at replay.build and turn your legacy recordings into a production-ready React Design System today.