Application Modernization Services

Application modernization is updating a legacy application so it's faster, cheaper to run, and easier to change, by refactoring the code, re-architecting the design (for example, monolith to microservices), modernizing the frontend, or rebuilding on a modern stack. Legacy modernization services focus on transforming how applications are built.

Migration is about the "where": moving an application to the cloud, often with minimal changes. Modernization is about the "how it's built": re-architecting the application itself. They often go together, but they're different jobs:

• If you mainly need to move to the cloud, that's our Digital Transformation and cloud-migration work;

• If you need to rebuild or re-architect the application, that's this page;

• Large-scale enterprise systems modernization is covered by our Enterprise Software Development team.

We modernize incrementally using the strangler-fig pattern, replacing components behind a stable facade in reversible, observable steps rather than a risky big-bang cutover. For data, we use zero-downtime techniques like dual-write and backfill, as we did when migrating a reporting database from MongoDB to SQL with zero downtime.

It depends on the app. Refactor when the architecture is sound but the code has decayed; re-architect when the design is the ceiling; rebuild when the legacy foundation is beyond economical repair; replatform for a faster, lower-risk step onto modern infrastructure. We assess each application and recommend the right approach, and sometimes that's leaving it alone.

Big-bang rewrites fail often because they try to replicate years of undocumented business logic in one long sprint. We avoid that entirely: incremental, reversible modernization with continuous testing, so value ships along the way and there's always a working system.

That's the norm, and it's exactly what our discovery phase is for. We capture the undocumented rules (the ones left behind by years of patches) into a documented spec before we touch the code, and we build test coverage around the existing behavior so nothing is lost in translation.

No. Over-decomposing into microservices can triple operational cost and complexity. We decompose only as far as it genuinely helps and keep the architecture right-sized for your team and traffic.

Per industry averages, a focused modernization or proof of concept typically runs from $10,000 to $50,000, while a full legacy re-architecture usually lands between $40,000 and $150,000, or more, depending on app size, complexity, the chosen approach, and compliance scope.

Custom work doesn't fit a fixed price list, so rather than quoting a misleading number, we scope your project and provide a tailored estimate after an initial consultation. Our scope generator can give you a quick ballpark in the meantime.

It depends on scope, but our architect-led, AI-accelerated delivery gets you a working proof of concept in about 1 week, then modernizes in phases from there, anywhere from a few weeks for a focused refactor to several months for a full re-architecture.

The first step is a Scope & Design Document that turns your goal into a phased, build-ready plan.

Both. We re-architect backends (from monoliths to microservices, legacy language refactors), modernize frontends (legacy interfaces to React/Next.js), and modernize the data layer, APIs, and delivery pipelines wherever parts of the application need it.

Yes, completely. You own all the source code, architecture, and intellectual property, with full rights transferred to you. There's no vendor lock-in: you're free to host, extend, or move the modernized application whenever you want.

Yes. Through a dedicated team or a retained contract, we handle monitoring, DevOps and CI/CD, further optimization, and new capabilities as the platform evolves. 80% of our clients stay with us 7+ years.

Yes. We've shipped AI and software for a variety of regulation-heavy industries:

• Healthcare (DispatchHealth, Doctify, RetinaRisk)

• PropTech (Plaace)

• Legaltech (LegalFly)

• Retail (Renovai).