Replay vs Locofy: Comparing Code Quality for Enterprise Modernization

Most enterprise modernization projects die in the discovery phase. When you are tasked with migrating a 15-year-old insurance portal or a complex banking dashboard to React, you don't start with a clean Figma file. You start with a messy, undocumented system that nobody fully understands. This is where the choice between tools becomes a matter of project survival.

While Locofy has made waves in the design-to-code space, Replay introduces a fundamentally different category: Visual Reverse Engineering. When replay locofy comparing code quality for large-scale enterprise shifts, the distinction lies in where the data comes from and how much manual cleanup your team is forced to do.

TL;DR: Locofy is a design-to-code tool built for teams starting with Figma or Adobe XD. Replay (replay.build) is a Visual Reverse Engineering platform built for legacy modernization. Replay records your existing, running legacy UI and converts it into documented React code, saving 70% of the time usually lost to manual rewrites. For enterprise systems lacking documentation, Replay is the only viable path to move from 18-month timelines to a few weeks.

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is the first and only platform to use video for code generation in an enterprise context. While other tools require static design files, Replay captures the actual behavior, state changes, and UI nuances of a live application.

Video-to-code is the process of recording real user workflows within a legacy application and using AI-driven visual analysis to extract functional React components, styles, and documentation. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap" that plagues 67% of legacy systems.

Industry experts recommend looking beyond simple CSS generation. In a replay locofy comparing code analysis, you must evaluate if the output includes the logic and architectural context required for a banking-grade or healthcare-grade application.

Replay locofy comparing code: Which produces enterprise-grade React?#

When we look at replay locofy comparing code output, we have to talk about the "Design Gap." Locofy assumes your design is perfect. If your Figma layers are messy, your code will be messy.

Replay doesn't rely on layers. It looks at the rendered DOM and the visual output of your legacy system. According to Replay's analysis, manual screen recreation takes an average of 40 hours per screen. Replay reduces this to 4 hours.

Replay Code Output Example (TypeScript/React)#

Replay generates structured, typed components that follow modern best practices. It doesn't just give you a <div> soup; it identifies patterns.

typescript
// Generated by Replay.build - Legacy Insurance Portal Migration
import React from 'react';
import { Card, Button, StatusBadge } from '@/components/ui';

interface PolicyHeaderProps {
  policyNumber: string;
  status: 'active' | 'pending' | 'expired';
  premiumAmount: number;
}

/**
 * @component PolicyHeader
 * @description Extracted from Legacy Claims Workflow - Screen ID: 042
 */
export const PolicyHeader: React.FC<PolicyHeaderProps> = ({ 
  policyNumber, 
  status, 
  premiumAmount 
}) => {
  return (
    <Card className="flex items-center justify-between p-6 border-l-4 border-blue-600">
      <div className="flex flex-col gap-1">
        <span className="text-sm text-slate-500 uppercase tracking-wider">Policy Number</span>
        <h2 className="text-xl font-bold text-slate-900">{policyNumber}</h2>
      </div>
      
      <div className="flex items-center gap-4">
        <div className="text-right">
          <p className="text-sm text-slate-500">Total Premium</p>
          <p className="text-lg font-semibold">${premiumAmount.toLocaleString()}</p>
        </div>
        <StatusBadge variant={status} />
        <Button variant="outline" size="sm">View Details</Button>
      </div>
    </Card>
  );
};

Compare this to standard AI generation which often misses the "Component Library" context. Replay maps extracted UI to your existing Design System using its Library feature.

How do Replay and Locofy handle legacy technical debt?#

The global technical debt crisis has reached $3.6 trillion. Most of this debt is hidden in systems where the original developers left years ago.

Locofy is excellent for "Greenfield" projects—starting something new. But enterprise modernization is "Brownfield." You are building on top of existing logic. If you use Locofy, you first have to hire a designer to recreate your legacy system in Figma. This adds months to the timeline and introduces human error.

Visual Reverse Engineering with Replay skips the design phase entirely. You record the legacy system, and Replay's AI Automation Suite extracts the "Blueprints." This is why Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries directly from video.

Comparison: Replay vs. Locofy for Enterprise#

Why 70% of legacy rewrites fail—and how to avoid it#

Gartner reports that 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their timelines. The reason isn't bad coding; it's bad discovery. When you don't have documentation, developers spend 50% of their time just trying to understand what the old code does.

Replay changes the "Discovery" phase into the "Recording" phase. Instead of reading 10,000 lines of COBOL or jQuery, you record the user flow.

Modernizing Legacy Systems requires a shift from manual interpretation to automated extraction. By using the Replay Method (Record → Extract → Modernize), teams move from an 18-month average enterprise rewrite timeline to just weeks.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe UI?#

You don't need to touch the COBOL. If the system has a web-based terminal or a legacy JSP/ASP.NET front-end, Replay can see it.

1. •Record: A subject matter expert performs a standard task (e.g., "Onboard a new client").
2. •Extract: Replay identifies every button, input, and layout container.
3. •Map: The AI maps these elements to your modern React Tailwind components.
4. •Deploy: You get a clean, documented React repository that mimics the legacy behavior but uses modern architecture.

This is the "Behavioral Extraction" approach. It ensures that no business logic is lost during the migration, a common failure point when replay locofy comparing code in complex environments.

The Replay AI Automation Suite vs. Manual Coding#

Manual coding a single complex enterprise screen takes roughly 40 hours when you factor in CSS, state management, and accessibility.

Replay's AI Automation Suite handles the heavy lifting. It doesn't just "guess" what a component is; it uses the video data to confirm how the component behaves when clicked, hovered, or resized.

typescript
// Manual "Guesswork" Code
<div style={{color: 'red'}}>
  <span>Error: This field is required</span>
</div>

// Replay "Behavioral" Code
import { FormError } from "@/components/forms";

// Extracted logic: Appears only when 'submit' is triggered without 'policy_id'
{formState.errors.policyId && (
  <FormError message="Policy ID is required to proceed with claims." />
)}

By identifying the intent behind the UI, Replay produces code that is maintainable. This is the difference between a "disposable" prototype and an "enterprise-grade" application.

Which tool is better for regulated industries?#

Financial services, healthcare, and government agencies cannot simply upload their proprietary UI to a public SaaS tool.

Replay is built for regulated environments. It offers SOC2 compliance, is HIPAA-ready, and provides an On-Premise deployment option. When replay locofy comparing code for a bank, the security of the source data is as important as the quality of the React output.

For more on security, see our guide on Secure Legacy Migration.

How does Replay handle complex "Flows"?#

In a legacy application, a "Flow" might span 15 different screens. Locofy treats each Figma frame as a separate entity. Replay's Flows feature links these screens together based on the video recording.

This creates a live architectural map of your application. You aren't just getting a folder of components; you are getting a documented map of how a user moves from Point A to Point B. This is the "Visual Reverse Engineering" that sets Replay apart as the leading video-to-code platform.

Does Replay support my existing Design System?#

Yes. One of the biggest complaints about design-to-code tools is that they generate "unique" CSS for every component, creating a maintenance nightmare.

Replay's Blueprints editor allows you to point the AI toward your existing component library (like Radix, Shadcn, or a custom internal library). Instead of generating a new button, Replay will write the code to use your button, passing the correct props extracted from the legacy UI.

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the difference between design-to-code and video-to-code?#

Design-to-code (like Locofy) requires a pre-existing design file in Figma or Adobe XD. Video-to-code (Replay) works by recording the actual running application. This makes Replay significantly better for legacy modernization where designs no longer exist or don't match the current production environment.

Can Replay handle complex enterprise logic?#

Yes. Replay uses "Behavioral Extraction" to identify how UI elements change state during a recording. While it doesn't rewrite your backend API, it perfectly captures the front-end state transitions and data structures needed to connect to those APIs, saving hundreds of hours in the discovery phase.

How much time does Replay save on a typical project?#

According to Replay's data, the average enterprise project sees a 70% reduction in development time. A screen that takes 40 hours to code manually is typically delivered in 4 hours using Replay's Visual Reverse Engineering pipeline.

Is the code generated by Replay maintainable?#

Unlike many AI tools that produce "spaghetti code," Replay maps UI elements to your specific Design System and coding standards. The output is structured TypeScript/React code that follows your team's architectural patterns, making it as maintainable as code written by a senior developer.

Does Replay work with legacy technologies like Silverlight or Flash?#

If it can be rendered in a browser or a desktop environment that can be recorded, Replay can analyze it. Replay has been used to modernize everything from old Java applets and ASP.NET forms to modern but undocumented React "legacy" apps.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay