How much does it cost to replace legacy software?
It depends on the size of the system, and nobody can give an honest figure without looking at it. For small systems our fixed-price packages are a guide: replacing an Access database costs £8,000 to £15,000 and replacing a spreadsheet £6,000 to £12,000. For anything larger, a code audit at £1,950 is the cheapest way to find out, and modernising in stages spreads the cost.
- Code audit, to find out what you have
- £1,950
- .NET upgrade assessment
- £2,500
- Access database replaced by a web application
- £8,000 to £15,000
- Spreadsheet replaced by a web application
- £6,000 to £12,000
Our published prices, excluding VAT.
Why one figure would be misleading
Legacy software means software that is still in use but built on older technology. That covers an Access database shared by a handful of people and a system that runs every department of a company. The cost of replacing one tells you nothing about the other.
Cost follows what the system does, not how old it is: the screens and reports in real use, the rules behind them, the data to be moved and the other systems it exchanges data with. Two systems of the same age can differ in cost by a wide margin. A figure quoted without looking at yours is an average of other people’s systems.
Published anchors for small systems
Two of our fixed-price packages replace small legacy systems outright: an Access database or a spreadsheet rebuilt as a web application. They can be priced in advance because the thing being replaced has a clear edge and can be examined in full before the quote.
A larger system does not fit a package. It has years of accumulated rules and connections to other systems, and its price is set after the scope has been agreed in writing.
Staging spreads the cost
Replacing a large system in one go means paying for all of it before any of it is in use. The old system has to be kept going throughout, and nothing is proven until the day of the switch.
Modernising in stages works differently. One part is replaced at a time while the system stays in service. Each stage is scoped and priced separately, and the parts carrying the most risk, such as a database that no longer receives security fixes, are dealt with first.
The total is not necessarily lower. What changes is that each stage is a decision you can budget for, and you can pause between stages without losing what has been done.
It is also common to find that much of a system does not need replacing. A part that is sound and on a supported platform can be kept, which takes it out of the bill.
Find out before you budget
The cheapest step is to have the system examined. A code audit takes 1 to 2 weeks at a fixed price and reports on the system’s condition, its risks and whether it should be maintained, modernised or replaced, with a sense of the size of each option. The fee is credited against follow-on work, and the report is yours whatever you decide.
For a first view without speaking to anyone, the maintain, modernise or replace check asks ten questions and gives a recommendation with the reasons for it.
Related questions
Is it cheaper to keep maintaining the old system?
In the short term, usually. Over several years it depends on whether the platform is still supported and how hard the code is to change. Where every change breaks something else, or the platform has no upgrade route, keeping the system can cost more than replacing it in stages.
Would a packaged product cost less than replacing our system?
Sometimes, and it is worth checking first. If a packaged product covers the process well, it will usually cost less than a rebuild. Add in the subscription for every user, the cost of moving your data and the effort of changing how staff work to suit the product.
Do we have to pay for the whole replacement up front?
Not with a staged approach. Each stage is scoped and priced on its own, and you decide after each one whether to go on.
Can the old system stay in use while it is replaced?
Yes. In a staged modernisation the system stays in service while parts of it are replaced one at a time. Old and new run side by side until each part has been proven.
Want the answer for your system?
Tell us what the software does and what you are trying to decide. We will reply with a straight answer and what we would need to know to be more precise.