When a batch of legacy files needs to be migrated, the first instinct is often: "We can handle this internally." And sometimes you can. But most teams dramatically underestimate how long manual migration takes, what it actually costs when you add up labor, and what gets silently broken along the way.
This post breaks down the real numbers so you can make an informed decision — not one based on wishful thinking.
Manual migration of .xls to .xlsx (or .mdb to .accdb) isn't as simple as opening the file and clicking Save As. A real migration involves:
None of this is trivial. And for each file, you repeat the cycle.
IT staff time is expensive. Even if you're not paying a consultant, you're paying your own people — and the opportunity cost of pulling them off their actual work is real.
| Scenario | Hours | @ $75/hr (internal) | @ $150/hr (consultant) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 simple files (no VBA) | 5 hrs | $375 | $750 |
| 10 complex files (with VBA) | 40–80 hrs | $3,000–$6,000 | $6,000–$12,000 |
| 50 mixed files | 60–150 hrs | $4,500–$11,250 | $9,000–$22,500 |
| 100 mixed files | 100–300 hrs | $7,500–$22,500 | $15,000–$45,000 |
| 1,000 files (batch project) | 600–1,200 hrs | $45,000–$90,000 | $90,000–$180,000 |
These numbers assume skilled people who know what they're doing. Inexperienced staff take longer and make more mistakes — which creates a second wave of labor: rework and re-testing.
LegacyLeaps scans your .xls and .mdb files and generates a full compatibility report before you spend anything. Know what you're dealing with in minutes.
Try the Free ScanThe single most common mistake in manual migration: opening a .xls file in Excel and saving as .xlsx. Excel silently deletes all VBA code. No warning. No error message. You think you're done. You're not.
The correct format for macro-containing files is .xlsm. Most non-specialists don't know this. Discovering it after migrating 200 files means starting over.
Workbooks that reference other workbooks inherit their path dependencies. Migrate them in the wrong order and every formula that points to an external file throws a reference error. Untangling this in a 50-file batch can take days.
Business users find problems that testers missed. Each support ticket costs 30–90 minutes of IT time. On a 100-file migration, expect 10–30 tickets. Add $750–$4,500 to your cost estimate.
Regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government) need documentation of what changed and why. Manual migration produces no audit trail unless you build one — which adds another 20–30% to the labor estimate.
Manual migrations almost always take 2–3x longer than estimated. If the delay means missing a Windows upgrade deadline, you may face emergency cloud hosting costs or extended support agreements for systems that were supposed to be retired.
To be fair: manual migration is sometimes the right call.
LegacyLeaps uses per-file pricing based on file type and complexity. Excel Standard (no macros): $29/file. Excel Pro (VBA, ActiveX): $97/file. Access Standard: $99/file. Access Pro (complex queries, forms): $347/file. Bulk packs (10, 25, and 50 files) reduce the per-file rate significantly. See current bulk pricing. IT teams and MSPs have dedicated bundle options on the IT Teams and MSPs pages.
| Files | LegacyLeaps Cost (est.) | Manual Internal Labor | Manual Consultant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 complex files | $689–$2,463 (10-pack) | $3,000–$6,000 | $6,000–$12,000 |
| 25 mixed files | $1,475–$5,225 (25-pack) | $4,500–$11,250 | $9,000–$22,500 |
| 50 mixed files | $2,597–$9,247 (50-pack) | $7,500–$22,500 | $15,000–$45,000 |
| 1,000 files | IT Teams pricing | $45,000–$90,000 | $90,000–$180,000 |
The free scan de-risks the purchase: you see exactly what LegacyLeaps will do to each file — what it can migrate, what it flags for manual review — before you commit any tokens.
| Risk | Manual Migration | LegacyLeaps |
|---|---|---|
| VBA code silently deleted | High (easy to make the .xlsx mistake) | None — always targets .xlsm for macro files |
| Formula reference corruption | Medium (external links, named ranges) | Low — link preservation is core functionality |
| Missed files in large batch | Medium (human error) | Low — batch processor handles all files consistently |
| ActiveX controls breaking silently | High (requires knowing which controls to check) | Low — scans and reports on control compatibility |
| Inconsistent results across files | High (depends on who worked on which file) | None — same process, every file |
| Data uploaded to external server | None (if done locally) | None — desktop app, files never leave your machine |
Most teams that choose manual migration do it because they underestimate scope. They look at their file list, see 80 files, and think "we can knock that out in a week." Then they open the first file, find 1,400 lines of VBA, and realize they're in trouble.
The free scan takes 2 minutes and gives you the actual scope: how many files have VBA, how many have external links, which have ActiveX controls, which are simple saves. With that data, you can make a real budget decision instead of a guess.
Run the free scan on your file batch. LegacyLeaps shows you exactly what's in each file before you spend a single token. No surprises, no hidden complexity.
Download Free ScannerA single complex .xls workbook with VBA macros takes 2–8 hours manually. For 50–100 files, expect 2–6 weeks of IT staff time — not counting validation and re-testing.
At $75–150/hr for IT staff time, migrating 100 files manually costs $7,500–$30,000 in labor — plus the risk of macro breakage, data loss, and post-migration support tickets.
VBA deletion (saving as .xlsx instead of .xlsm), formula reference corruption from external links, ActiveX controls breaking silently, and inconsistent results when multiple people are working the batch.
LegacyLeaps per-file pricing for 100 mixed files typically runs $2,900–$9,700 with bulk pack savings, vs. $7,500–$45,000 for manual IT or consultant labor. The free scan shows exactly what you'll need before you buy. See current pricing.
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