LegacyLeaps vs Hiring a Consultant

IT consultants charge $150–$200/hr for legacy file migration work. Here's an honest look at what you get, what you pay, and where each approach makes sense.

The Cost Reality

For a single complex .xls workbook with extensive VBA and ActiveX controls, a consultant might bill 6–8 hours. At $150/hr, that's $900–$1,200 for one file. Multiply that across 20 or 50 files and you're looking at a serious budget commitment.

LegacyLeaps converts those same files in minutes. The compatibility report it generates is more detailed than what most consultants provide in their deliverables.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The "Black Box" Problem with Consultants

When you hire a consultant to migrate your files, you receive converted files. Hopefully working converted files. What you usually don't receive is:

• A full inventory of what macros, modules, and controls were found
• Documentation of every compatibility issue encountered
• A record of what changed and why
• Confidence that every code path was tested

LegacyLeaps produces a compatibility report with every conversion. You see exactly what was in each file, what issues were detected, and what was preserved. That report exists for your records, your auditors, and your own peace of mind.

The Scheduling Problem

Good VBA-capable consultants are booked. You contact them today and start two weeks from now. Meanwhile, your .xls files won't open, your team can't work, and the clock is running.

LegacyLeaps is available right now. Download, scan, convert. No scheduling, no back-and-forth on scope, no "I'll need to see the files first."

When a Consultant Is the Right Choice

Consultants have a genuine advantage in specific scenarios:

• Deep VBA refactoring: If you don't just want your macros preserved but want them modernized, rewritten to best practices, or extended with new functionality, a consultant can do that. LegacyLeaps migrates your code as-is; it doesn't rewrite it.
• Architecture decisions: If you're deciding whether to stay in Excel/Access or move to a web application or SQL Server backend, a consultant can advise on that. LegacyLeaps migrates files to modern formats — it doesn't redesign your system.
• Truly unique edge cases: If your workbook uses undocumented features, highly unusual VBA patterns, or third-party COM add-ins with licensing issues, a hands-on specialist may be needed for those specific problems.

For the other 90% of cases — workbooks that need their macros preserved and their formats updated — LegacyLeaps gets it done faster, cheaper, and with a better paper trail.

The LegacyLeaps Done-For-You Option

If you want human expertise combined with automated migration tooling, LegacyLeaps offers a done-for-you service. You send us your files, we migrate them with full manual review and sign-off, and you receive converted files plus a detailed compatibility report. It's not $150/hr — it's a flat service fee, and it includes our money-back guarantee.

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