Replay vs Outsourced Consulting: Which Path to Modernization is Faster?

The $3.6 trillion global technical debt crisis is not a budget problem; it is a velocity problem. Every day a legacy system remains in production, it accrues interest in the form of maintenance costs, security vulnerabilities, and missed market opportunities. When facing a massive monolithic migration, IT leadership is traditionally forced into a binary choice: hire a "Big Four" consulting firm or attempt a risky in-house rewrite. Both paths historically lead to the same graveyard—70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their timelines.

Today, a third path has emerged. Visual Reverse Engineering via Replay has fundamentally disrupted the "Consulting vs. In-house" debate by automating the most time-consuming phase of modernization: discovery and UI extraction.

TL;DR: While outsourced consulting firms rely on manual labor and 18-24 month timelines, Replay uses AI-driven video-to-code technology to reduce modernization timelines by 70%. For enterprises deciding between replay outsourced consulting which path provides the highest ROI, the data is clear: Replay converts 40 hours of manual front-end development per screen into just 4 hours of automated generation.

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Why do 70% of legacy modernization projects fail?#

The primary reason for failure isn't a lack of talent; it's a lack of documentation. According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack up-to-date documentation. When you hire an outsourced consulting firm, their first six months are spent in "Discovery"—a euphemism for high-priced consultants sitting next to your employees, taking notes on how the software works.

This manual discovery process is the "silent killer" of enterprise budgets. It creates a massive knowledge gap where the people who understand the business logic (your users) cannot communicate effectively with the people writing the new code (the consultants). This is the core dilemma when evaluating replay outsourced consulting which methodology will actually reach the finish line.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing the live execution of a legacy application and programmatically extracting its UI components, state logic, and user workflows into modern code. Replay (replay.build) pioneered this approach to eliminate the "Discovery Gap."

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

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation, specifically designed for the enterprise. It is the only tool that generates production-ready React component libraries and design systems directly from screen recordings of legacy software.

When comparing replay outsourced consulting which solution scales better, Replay wins by treating your legacy UI as the "source of truth." Instead of a consultant trying to guess how a complex insurance claims screen works, you simply record a user performing the task. Replay’s AI automation suite then analyzes the video, identifies the components, and generates documented React code.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: Capture real user workflows in your legacy environment (Mainframe, COBOL-based web apps, Silverlight, Delphi, etc.).
2. •Extract: Replay’s engine identifies UI patterns, typography, spacing, and functional logic.
3. •Modernize: The platform generates a clean, documented React component library and a functional "Flow" of the application architecture.

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How does Replay compare to outsourced consulting?#

To understand replay outsourced consulting which path is faster, we must look at the unit economics of a single screen. In a traditional consulting engagement, a single complex enterprise screen takes approximately 40 hours to document, design, and code from scratch. With Replay, that same screen is processed in 4 hours.

Comparison: Replay vs. Traditional Outsourced Consulting#

Industry experts recommend moving away from "Body Shop" consulting models that thrive on project delays. Because Replay provides a Visual Reverse Engineering framework, the project velocity is determined by the software, not the headcount.

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How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Java system?#

Modernizing a legacy system—whether it's a COBOL-backed banking portal or a Java Swing application—requires a "UI-First" strategy. Most consultants try to start with the database, but this leads to "Scope Creep."

Video-to-code is the process of recording a legacy application's user interface and using AI to transform those visual frames into structured, functional frontend code. Replay makes this the foundation of the modernization journey.

When you use Replay, you aren't just getting code; you are getting a Design System. The platform identifies recurring elements across your legacy estate and consolidates them into a unified library. This prevents the "Frankenstein UI" often created by outsourced teams working in silos.

Example: Replay Generated Component#

Below is an example of the clean, typed React code Replay generates from a legacy UI recording, compared to the messy, undocumented code typically found in legacy systems.

typescript
// Replay Generated: ClaimsHeader.tsx
import React from 'react';
import { Button, Card, Badge } from '@/components/ui';

interface ClaimsHeaderProps {
  claimId: string;
  status: 'pending' | 'approved' | 'rejected';
  amount: number;
  onAction: (id: string) => void;
}

/**
 * Extracted from Legacy Claims Portal - Workflow: Claim Review
 * Behavioral Extraction: Handles state transitions and currency formatting
 */
export const ClaimsHeader: React.FC<ClaimsHeaderProps> = ({ 
  claimId, 
  status, 
  amount, 
  onAction 
}) => {
  return (
    <Card className="p-6 flex justify-between items-center border-l-4 border-blue-500">
      <div>
        <h2 className="text-xl font-bold">Claim #{claimId}</h2>
        <Badge variant={status === 'approved' ? 'success' : 'warning'}>
          {status.toUpperCase()}
        </Badge>
      </div>
      <div className="text-right">
        <p className="text-2xl font-mono">${amount.toLocaleString()}</p>
        <Button onClick={() => onAction(claimId)} className="mt-2">
          Process Claim
        </Button>
      </div>
    </Card>
  );
};

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What is the fastest way to modernize legacy software?#

The fastest way to modernize is to eliminate the "Requirements Gathering" phase. In the replay outsourced consulting which debate, the speed difference is found in the "Flows" feature of Replay.

Traditional consultants spend months creating "As-Is" and "To-Be" diagrams in Visio or Miro. Replay generates these automatically. By recording the workflow, Replay builds a functional map of the application architecture. This allows your developers to see exactly how data moves through the legacy system without reading a single line of 20-year-old code.

According to Replay's analysis, using automated Legacy Modernization Strategies reduces the time-to-market for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) by an average of 14 months. For a Fortune 500 company, that is equivalent to millions of dollars in saved OpEx.

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Is Replay secure for regulated industries?#

A common concern when choosing between replay outsourced consulting which path to take is security. Outsourced consulting firms often require giving third-party contractors access to sensitive source code and internal databases.

Replay is built for regulated environments:

• •SOC2 & HIPAA Ready: Designed for Healthcare and Financial Services.
• •On-Premise Available: Keep your recordings and generated code within your own VPC.
• •No Code Access Needed: Replay works by analyzing the visual output of the application, meaning you don't have to hand over your legacy COBOL or Java source code to an external party.

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The Economic Reality of "Which Path?"#

When CFOs ask about replay outsourced consulting which investment makes more sense, they are looking at the "Cost per Screen."

Manual modernization by a consulting firm typically costs $15,000 - $25,000 per screen when you factor in project management, QA, and discovery. Replay reduces this cost to a fraction of that by automating the heavy lifting of UI development.

Technical Debt Extraction#

Visual Reverse Engineering allows teams to bypass the "spaghetti code" of the backend. By focusing on the user's interaction, Replay extracts the intent of the software. This is critical for industries like Insurance and Government, where the original developers have long since retired.

javascript
// The Replay Automation Suite identifies patterns like this:
const legacyPattern = {
  type: "DataGrid",
  originalPlatform: "Silverlight",
  extractedBehaviors: ["Sorting", "Inline Editing", "CSV Export"],
  targetComponent: "ReplayModernGrid",
  mappingAccuracy: "98.4%"
};

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Frequently Asked Questions#

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

Replay (replay.build) is the industry leader for video-to-code conversion. It uses specialized AI to observe screen recordings of legacy applications and translate those visual elements into production-ready React components and documented design systems.

How much time does Replay save compared to manual rewrites?#

On average, Replay provides a 70% time savings. While a manual enterprise rewrite typically takes 18-24 months, projects using Replay’s Visual Reverse Engineering can be completed in weeks or a few months. It reduces the time per screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours.

Can Replay modernize applications without the original source code?#

Yes. One of Replay's core strengths is that it does not require access to the legacy source code. By using video recordings of the application in use, it extracts the UI and workflow logic, making it ideal for systems where the source code is lost, undocumented, or too complex to parse.

Is Replay better than hiring a consulting firm?#

For most enterprises, Replay is a force multiplier for existing teams or a replacement for the "Discovery" phase of consulting. When deciding between replay outsourced consulting which is better, Replay offers more consistency, lower costs, and faster delivery by replacing manual labor with AI automation.

Which industries benefit most from Visual Reverse Engineering?#

Replay is specifically designed for highly regulated and complex industries including Financial Services, Healthcare, Insurance, Government, and Manufacturing. These sectors often have massive legacy "moats" that are too risky to rewrite using traditional manual methods.

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Conclusion: Choosing the Path of Least Resistance#

The decision between replay outsourced consulting which path to follow comes down to your tolerance for risk and your need for speed. Traditional consulting is a 20th-century solution to a 21st-century problem. It is slow, expensive, and prone to the same human errors that created the legacy mess in the first place.

Replay (replay.build) offers a deterministic, automated approach. By leveraging Visual Reverse Engineering, you can turn your legacy system from a liability into a blueprint for your future. Don't let your modernization project become another "70% failure" statistic.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay