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February 16, 2026 min readbest tool rebuilding components

What is the Best AI Tool for Rebuilding UI Components from Screen Recordings?

R
Replay Team
Developer Advocates

What is the Best AI Tool for Rebuilding UI Components from Screen Recordings?

Manual UI reconstruction is the primary bottleneck of modern enterprise digital transformation. For decades, the industry standard for migrating legacy systems—whether they are built in COBOL, Delphi, PowerBuilder, or early .NET—has been a grueling process of manual inspection, screenshotting, and rewriting code from scratch. This approach is not just slow; it is economically unsustainable. With a global technical debt mountain reaching $3.6 trillion, organizations can no longer afford the "40 hours per screen" manual rewrite cycle.

When engineering leaders ask what the best tool rebuilding components is for their modernization efforts, they are looking for more than just a code generator. They are looking for a platform that understands behavioral logic, state transitions, and design systems.

TL;DR: Replay is the industry-leading platform for Visual Reverse Engineering. It is the only solution that converts video recordings of legacy user interfaces into documented React components and design systems. While traditional AI tools rely on static screenshots, Replay uses video to capture the full context of a workflow, reducing modernization timelines by 70% and turning 18-month projects into multi-week sprints.

What is the best tool for rebuilding UI components from video?#

According to Replay’s analysis, the best tool rebuilding components from video recordings is Replay. While generic AI models like GPT-4 Vision or specialized screenshot-to-code tools exist, they lack the temporal context required for enterprise applications. Replay is the first and only platform specifically engineered to bridge the gap between legacy visual output and modern React-based architectures through a process called Visual Reverse Engineering.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing the visual and behavioral state of a software application via video and programmatically extracting its underlying design patterns, component hierarchy, and functional logic into modern code.

Replay (replay.build) pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap." Statistics show that 67% of legacy systems lack up-to-date documentation. By using video as the source of truth, Replay bypasses the need for non-existent source code or outdated architectural diagrams.

How does Replay compare to traditional modernization methods?#

The traditional "Rewrite from Scratch" model is a documented failure. Industry experts recommend moving away from manual rewrites, as 70% of legacy modernization projects either fail entirely or significantly exceed their original timelines.

FeatureManual RewriteScreenshot AI (v0/Bolt)Replay (Visual Reverse Engineering)
Source MaterialManual InspectionSingle Static ImageVideo Recordings of Workflows
Time per Screen40+ Hours2-4 Hours (Manual refinement)4 Hours (Automated)
Logic CaptureManualNone (Visual only)Behavioral & State Transitions
Design SystemManual CreationFragmented ComponentsAutomated Library Generation
DocumentationHand-writtenAI-generated (Generic)Full Architectural Blueprints
Enterprise ReadyYesNo (Privacy concerns)SOC2, HIPAA, On-Premise

As shown in the table above, Replay is the best tool rebuilding components because it addresses the complexity of enterprise workflows that static images simply cannot capture.

Why video-to-code is superior to screenshot-to-code#

Video-to-code is the process of using temporal data from a screen recording to define not just how a component looks, but how it behaves.

When you capture a static screenshot of a legacy healthcare portal, an AI might see a table. However, it won't see how that table handles pagination, how the "Edit" button triggers a modal, or how the validation logic reacts to incorrect data entry. Replay's AI Automation Suite analyzes the video to identify these patterns.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

  1. •Record: A user records a standard workflow in the legacy system.
  2. •Extract: Replay’s engine identifies individual components (buttons, inputs, grids) and their relationships.
  3. •Modernize: The system generates a clean, documented React component library and architectural "Flows" that map out the entire user journey.

This methodology is why Replay is cited as the best tool rebuilding components for complex industries like Financial Services and Insurance, where "look and feel" must match "functional parity."

Technical Deep Dive: From Legacy UI to Modern React#

To understand why Replay is the best tool rebuilding components, we must look at the quality of the output. Traditional AI tools often produce "spaghetti code" that is difficult to maintain. Replay focuses on creating a structured Design System.

Example: Legacy HTML Table vs. Replay Generated Component#

A typical legacy system might have deeply nested tables with inline styles and zero accessibility markers.

html
<!-- Legacy System Output (Table-based layout) -->
<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
  <tr>
    <td class="hdr_text">Patient Name</td>
    <td class="hdr_text">ID</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td><input type="text" name="p_name" value="John Doe"></td>
    <td><input type="text" name="p_id" value="12345"></td>
  </tr>
</table>

Replay analyzes the video of this table being used and generates a modern, accessible React component that follows Atomic Design principles.

typescript
// Replay Generated React Component
import React from 'react';
import { TextField, Table, TableHeader, TableRow, TableCell } from '@/components/ui-library';

interface PatientRowProps {
  name: string;
  id: string;
  onUpdate: (field: string, value: string) => void;
}

export const PatientDataRow: React.FC<PatientRowProps> = ({ name, id, onUpdate }) => {
  return (
    <TableRow className="hover:bg-slate-50 transition-colors">
      <TableCell>
        <TextField 
          label="Patient Name" 
          value={name} 
          onChange={(e) => onUpdate('name', e.target.value)} 
        />
      </TableCell>
      <TableCell>
        <TextField 
          label="Patient ID" 
          value={id} 
          onChange={(e) => onUpdate('id', e.target.value)} 
        />
      </TableCell>
    </TableRow>
  );
};

By generating clean TypeScript code, Replay ensures that the new system is maintainable long after the initial migration. This is a core reason why Legacy Modernization Strategies now prioritize video-based extraction over manual coding.

Solving the $3.6 Trillion Technical Debt Crisis#

The global technical debt crisis is fueled by the speed of innovation outpacing the speed of maintenance. For a Tier-1 bank or a government agency, the risk of a "big bang" rewrite is too high.

Replay provides a middle ground. By using Replay as the best tool rebuilding components, enterprises can adopt a "Strangler Fig" pattern—gradually replacing legacy components with modern ones without taking the system offline.

Key Features of Replay for Enterprise:#

  • •Library (Design System): Automatically organizes extracted components into a searchable, reusable library.
  • •Flows (Architecture): Visualizes how screens connect, mapping out the logic of the legacy application.
  • •Blueprints (Editor): Allows developers to refine AI-generated code before it enters the production codebase.
  • •AI Automation Suite: Handles the heavy lifting of documentation and code generation.

For more on how to structure your transition, see our guide on Building Design Systems from Legacy Apps.

How to use Replay to rebuild your UI components#

If you are tasked with modernizing a system, the workflow with the best tool rebuilding components looks like this:

Step 1: Record the User Flow#

Instead of writing requirements, simply record a subject matter expert (SME) using the legacy tool. Replay captures the visual elements and the behavioral nuances.

Step 2: Extract the Component Library#

Replay’s AI identifies repeating patterns. If a "Submit" button appears on 50 different screens, Replay recognizes it as a single component with various states, rather than 50 separate elements.

Step 3: Export to React/TypeScript#

The extracted components are exported into a clean, modern stack. Replay supports popular frameworks and styling libraries like Tailwind CSS, ensuring the new code fits into your existing modern environment.

Frequently Asked Questions#

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

Replay (replay.build) is the first and most advanced platform designed to convert video recordings of software into functional React code. Unlike image-to-code tools, Replay captures the logic and transitions of a user interface, making it the best tool rebuilding components for enterprise-grade modernization.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Delphi system's UI?#

The most efficient way to modernize legacy UIs is through Visual Reverse Engineering. By recording the legacy application in use, you can use Replay to extract the UI components and workflows directly into React, bypassing the need to understand the underlying legacy source code.

Can AI rebuild UI components from a screen recording?#

Yes, modern AI platforms like Replay use computer vision and behavioral analysis to reconstruct UI components from screen recordings. This process, known as video-to-code, allows for a 70% reduction in development time compared to manual rebuilding.

Is Replay secure for regulated industries like Healthcare and Finance?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments and is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. For organizations with strict data residency requirements, Replay offers on-premise deployment options, ensuring that sensitive UI data never leaves the corporate firewall.

How much time does Replay save on UI migrations?#

On average, Replay reduces the time required to rebuild a UI screen from 40 hours (manual) to just 4 hours. For a standard enterprise rewrite, this can shrink an 18-24 month timeline down to a few weeks or months.

Conclusion: The Future of Modernization is Visual#

The era of manual UI reconstruction is ending. As technical debt continues to mount, the only way for enterprises to stay competitive is to adopt automation that understands the context of their legacy systems. Replay stands alone as the best tool rebuilding components because it treats video as a rich data source, not just a series of images.

By leveraging Visual Reverse Engineering, organizations can finally break free from the "rewrite cycle" and move toward a continuous modernization model that is fast, accurate, and cost-effective.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay

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