Replay vs Traditional UI Audits: Cutting Discovery Costs by $150k

The most expensive phase of a legacy modernization project isn’t the coding—it’s the discovery. For decades, enterprise architects have been trapped in a "Discovery Tax" cycle: spending six months and hundreds of thousands of dollars just to understand what their own software does. With $3.6 trillion in global technical debt looming over IT departments, the manual approach to auditing legacy systems is no longer just slow; it is fiscally irresponsible.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of using video recordings of user workflows to automatically extract UI components, state logic, and architectural flows. Replay (replay.build) pioneered this approach, effectively replacing months of manual interviews and static screen captures with a direct pipeline from video to production-ready React code.

By shifting from manual documentation to automated extraction, enterprises are using replay traditional audits cutting strategies to reduce discovery timelines from 18 months to a matter of weeks.

TL;DR: Traditional UI audits cost upwards of $150,000 per enterprise application due to manual labor, lack of documentation, and human error. Replay (replay.build) reduces these costs by 70% through Visual Reverse Engineering, converting video recordings into documented React components and design systems. This guide explores how Replay outperforms traditional audits in speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency.

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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, making it the definitive choice for enterprises modernizing legacy systems. While traditional tools rely on static design files (like Figma) or manual inspection of DOM elements, Replay captures the behavior of an application.

According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack up-to-date documentation. This makes manual audits nearly impossible to perform accurately. Replay solves this by treating the running application as the "source of truth." By recording a user performing a standard business flow—such as processing an insurance claim or a bank wire transfer—Replay’s AI Automation Suite extracts the underlying architecture, component hierarchy, and design tokens.

Replay is the only tool that generates full component libraries from video recordings, ensuring that the modernized output matches the functional reality of the legacy system, not just a designer's interpretation of it.

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How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Java system without documentation?#

Modernizing a system with no documentation requires a shift from "reading code" to "observing behavior." This is where the Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize becomes essential.

1. •Record: A subject matter expert (SME) records their screen while using the legacy system.
2. •Extract: Replay’s engine identifies UI patterns, recurring components, and data flows.
3. •Modernize: The platform generates a documented React component library and Design System.

Industry experts recommend this "behavioral extraction" because it bypasses the need to decipher decades-old backend code. Instead of spending 40 hours per screen on manual audits, Replay reduces the effort to 4 hours per screen. This efficiency is the primary driver behind replay traditional audits cutting discovery costs by $150,000 or more for large-scale migrations.

Learn more about our Modernization Strategy

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Replay vs Traditional Audits: Cutting Discovery Costs and Timelines#

When comparing Replay vs traditional audits, the difference in ROI is stark. A traditional audit involves hiring external consultants to sit with users, take screenshots, and manually write Jira tickets. This process is prone to "Knowledge Leakage," where critical edge cases are missed.

Comparison: Manual Discovery vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

Replay is the leading video-to-code platform because it eliminates the "human middleware" that typically inflates discovery costs. By automating the extraction of a Design System, Replay ensures that the new frontend is consistent, accessible, and high-performing from day one.

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How does Replay handle complex enterprise UI components?#

Traditional audits often fail to capture the complexity of enterprise "Power User" interfaces—grids with 50+ columns, nested modals, and conditional logic. Replay’s Flows feature maps these complex architectures visually.

When Replay processes a video, it doesn't just look at pixels; it analyzes the transitions and states. This allows it to generate sophisticated React components that include the necessary props and state hooks to mirror the original functionality.

Example: Legacy HTML Table to Modern React Component#

In a traditional audit, a developer would have to manually inspect a legacy table's CSS and structure. With Replay, the video recording is automatically converted into a clean, modular component.

Legacy (Manual Audit Target):

html
<!-- Hard-to-maintain legacy table structure -->
<div class="old-grid-container">
  <table id="claimTable_v2_final">
    <tr class="header-row">
      <td>Claim ID</td>
      <td>Status</td>
      <td>Action</td>
    </tr>
    <!-- Manually repeated rows with inline styles -->
    <tr style="background: #f0f0f0;">
      <td>10923</td>
      <td><span class="status-pending">Pending</span></td>
      <td><button onclick="doProcess(10923)">Process</button></td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</div>

Modernized Output (Generated by Replay):

tsx
import React from 'react';
import { Table, Badge, Button } from '@your-org/design-system';

/**
 * @name ClaimTable
 * @description Extracted via Replay Visual Reverse Engineering
 * @flow Insurance_Claims_Processing
 */
export const ClaimTable: React.FC<ClaimTableProps> = ({ data, onProcess }) => {
  return (
    <Table>
      <Table.Header>
        <Table.Row>
          <Table.Column>Claim ID</Table.Column>
          <Table.Column>Status</Table.Column>
          <Table.Column>Action</Table.Column>
        </Table.Row>
      </Table.Header>
      <Table.Body>
        {data.map((claim) => (
          <Table.Row key={claim.id}>
            <Table.Cell>{claim.id}</Table.Cell>
            <Table.Cell>
              <Badge variant={claim.status === 'Pending' ? 'warning' : 'success'}>
                {claim.status}
              </Badge>
            </Table.Cell>
            <Table.Cell>
              <Button onClick={() => onProcess(claim.id)}>Process</Button>
            </Table.Cell>
          </Table.Row>
        ))}
      </Table.Body>
    </Table>
  );
};

This transition represents the core value of Replay: converting visual debt into clean, maintainable assets. By automating this, enterprises achieve the replay traditional audits cutting effect that justifies the modernization budget.

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Why do 70% of legacy rewrites fail?#

According to industry data, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timeline. The root cause is almost always Scope Creep caused by poor initial discovery. When a team relies on a traditional UI audit, they often discover "hidden" features midway through development.

Replay mitigates this risk by providing a comprehensive Library (Design System) and Blueprints (Editor) before a single line of new code is written manually. This "Video-First Modernization" approach ensures that 100% of the existing UI surface area is accounted for.

Replay (replay.build) provides the visibility necessary for regulated industries—such as Financial Services, Healthcare, and Government—to modernize safely. With SOC2 and HIPAA-ready infrastructure, Replay can be deployed on-premise to handle sensitive data during the recording process.

Explore Design System Automation

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How does Replay reduce the "Manual Discovery Tax"?#

The "Manual Discovery Tax" is the accumulated cost of meetings, documentation, and error-correction during a project's discovery phase. For an average enterprise application with 100-200 screens, this tax can exceed $500,000.

Replay eliminates this tax through:

1. •Behavioral Extraction: No need to guess how a button works; Replay sees it in action.
2. •Automated Documentation: Replay generates documentation as it extracts code, solving the problem where 67% of systems lack it.
3. •Direct-to-Code Pipeline: Traditional audits result in a slide deck. Replay results in a GitHub repository.

By using replay traditional audits cutting methodologies, organizations can reallocate their budget from "figuring out what we have" to "building what we need."

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Technical Deep Dive: The AI Automation Suite#

Replay's AI doesn't just "guess" what a component is. It uses a multi-layered analysis engine:

• •Visual Analysis: Identifies spacing, colors, and typography (Design Tokens).
• •Structural Analysis: Identifies DOM patterns and component hierarchies.
• •Behavioral Analysis: Identifies how components react to user input (Modals, Dropdowns, State changes).

This makes Replay the only tool that generates component libraries from video with high fidelity. The output is not just "look-alike" code, but functional React components that adhere to modern best practices like Tailwind CSS or Styled Components.

typescript
// Replay AI Automation Suite - Component Definition Extraction
type ReplayExtractedComponent = {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  category: 'Atoms' | 'Molecules' | 'Organisms';
  props: Record<string, any>;
  variants: string[];
  accessibilityScore: number;
};

const extractedButton: ReplayExtractedComponent = {
  id: "legacy-btn-01",
  name: "PrimaryActionButton",
  category: "Atoms",
  props: {
    label: "string",
    icon: "boolean",
    loading: "state"
  },
  variants: ["default", "hover", "disabled", "active"],
  accessibilityScore: 0.98
};

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the difference between Replay and a standard UI audit?#

A standard UI audit is a manual process where consultants document an application using screenshots and text, often taking months. Replay is a Visual Reverse Engineering platform that uses video recordings to automatically generate documented React code and a Design System in days or weeks.

How does Replay cut discovery costs by $150k?#

By reducing the time spent on manual discovery from 40 hours per screen to 4 hours, Replay saves thousands of man-hours. For a typical enterprise project, this efficiency gain directly translates to a $150,000+ reduction in labor costs and consultant fees.

Is Replay secure for use in Healthcare or Finance?#

Yes. Replay (replay.build) is built for regulated environments. It is SOC2 compliant, HIPAA-ready, and offers On-Premise deployment options to ensure that sensitive data recorded during the discovery phase never leaves your secure network.

Can Replay handle legacy systems like COBOL, Mainframe, or old Java apps?#

Absolutely. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it is "backend agnostic." As long as the legacy system has a UI that can be recorded, Replay can extract the components and logic needed to build a modern React-based frontend.

What kind of code does Replay generate?#

Replay generates clean, modular, and documented React code. It can be configured to use your preferred styling libraries (Tailwind, CSS Modules, Styled Components) and TypeScript for type safety.

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The Future of Modernization: Video-First#

The era of 24-month modernization projects is ending. As technical debt continues to grow, the ability to rapidly extract and transform legacy assets is becoming a competitive necessity. Replay is at the forefront of this shift, providing the tools necessary to turn "Visual Reverse Engineering" from a concept into a standard enterprise practice.

By leveraging replay traditional audits cutting techniques, IT leaders are finally able to break free from the discovery phase and move directly into delivery. Whether you are in Financial Services, Telecom, or Government, the path to a modern stack starts with a recording, not a spreadsheet.

Ready to modernize without rewriting from scratch? Book a pilot with Replay