App modernisation and takeover
App modernisation and takeover in Sydney and Melbourne
Rocket Lab Australia takes over, stabilises and modernises web and mobile apps built by other teams, including projects an earlier partner could not deliver. We start with a technical review, then modernise or rebuild only what needs it, so your business keeps running while the product moves forward.
- A technical review before any rebuild
- Work directly with the team doing the work
- You own the code once it is paid for
- Rebuilt from scratch Before You Buy, after an MVP built offshore
- Founded 2014, Sydney and Melbourne team
For apps that have stalled, aged or outgrown the team that built them.
We rebuilt Before You Buy's platform from scratch after an MVP built offshore, and launched Education Services Australia's catalogue after multiple failed attempts by others. You work directly with the designers and engineers doing the work in Sydney and Melbourne.
When teams bring us an app
Most of the apps we take over arrive in one of these situations.
The last partner did not deliver
Deadlines keep slipping, defects keep coming back and launch is no closer. We take ownership and work out what it will take to launch.
The app has aged
Old frameworks, unsupported libraries or an operating system update that breaks it. We bring it up to date in stages.
The MVP has been outgrown
The first version proved the idea but cannot carry more users, features or integrations. We plan what the next version needs.
The people who built it have gone
Nobody left knows the code. We review it, explain what we find in plain words and take it on from there.
A website stuck on a legacy CMS
Content locked in an old system that slows every change. We move it onto a modern headless CMS.
An app built with AI tools
A prototype from Lovable, Cursor or Claude Code that works in preview but is not ready for real users.
Apps and platforms we have taken over or moved on
Rebuilds, takeovers and migrations our team has delivered.
Rebuilt after an offshore MVP
Before You Buy
The first platform was an MVP built offshore. We designed and built the whole platform again from scratch: the website, the customer portal, the admin, BYB Assist for agents and the BYB Inspector app, after 2 months of discovery and a 9-month build, followed by maintenance and new features.
Taken over after failed attempts
Education Services Australia
The Safer Technologies 4 Schools catalogue had stalled after multiple failed attempts by others. We stabilised it with staging and production environments and fixed sign-in by integrating Kinde. It launched by the end of the financial year, as promised, and Rocket Lab still maintains it.
Migrated while live
Webjet Australia and New Zealand
110,000+ pages moved off Boost CMS and Umbraco onto Directus, with the templates rebuilt in React and TypeScript, while the site stayed live.
Data migration
James Hardie
We built and extended Smarter Partner, the portal for James Hardie's partners and builders, and HardieBase, the admin behind it. Now we are extracting HardieBase's data for James Hardie's move to Salesforce. A client for over a decade.
And many more, for startups, enterprise and government. See all case studies.
How a takeover runs
We get to know the app before we change it.
Technical review
We review the code, infrastructure, integrations and open issues, and tell you plainly what is sound, what is at risk and what it would take to fix.
Handover and access
We bring the code, hosting and third-party accounts under your control, so you hold the keys whoever works on the app.
Stabilise
Stable staging and production environments, the most serious defects fixed first, and releases your team can rely on.
Modernise or rebuild
We upgrade what is sound and rebuild what is not, and show you the reasons for each choice before the work starts.
Release in stages
Changes ship in stages, so the business keeps running while the platform moves forward.
Support and grow
Updates, monitoring and new features once the app is back on track, through ongoing support and optimisation.
Why teams hand their app to Rocket Lab
Senior and local
Your app is reviewed and rebuilt by our Australian-based team in Sydney and Melbourne, and you work directly with the people writing the code.
Honest about what to keep
A rebuild is not always the answer. If parts of the app are sound, we keep them and say so.
Your code, your accounts
You own the code once the project is paid in full, and hosting and third-party accounts stay in your name.
Built to last
We build apps you can keep improving for years. Clients like James Hardie have worked with us for over a decade.
App modernisation and takeover FAQs
What is app modernisation?
Bringing an existing app up to date without starting again where you do not need to: upgrading frameworks and libraries, replacing the parts that no longer scale, moving off legacy systems and improving the experience for your users. When the foundations cannot carry the product forward, a rebuild is the better path, and the technical review tells you which.
Can you take over our existing app?
Yes. For apps built with tools like Lovable, Cursor or Claude Code, the App Rescue Report tells you what to fix, what to cut and what it costs to launch. For larger products we start with a technical review, then modernise or rebuild only what needs it, with ongoing support and optimisation after launch.
Our last development partner did not deliver. Can you help?
Yes. We start with a technical review so you know where the project really stands, then stabilise it before adding anything new. Education Services Australia came to us after multiple failed attempts by others, and its catalogue launched by the end of the financial year, as promised.
Should we modernise our app or rebuild it?
It depends on the code, the architecture and where the product is going. The technical review gives you a recommendation with the reasons and the trade-offs, and we rebuild only what needs it. Before You Buy's platform was rebuilt from scratch after an MVP built offshore; Education Services Australia's catalogue was stabilised without unnecessary rewrites.
Can our app stay live while it is modernised?
Usually, yes. We plan the work in stages, so the business keeps running while the platform moves forward. Webjet's Australian and New Zealand sites stayed live while we moved 110,000+ pages onto a new CMS.
How much does app modernisation cost?
It depends on the state of the code, how much can be kept, the systems it connects to and the platforms it runs on. The technical review comes first, so the fixed quote is based on evidence rather than a guess. A free consultation is enough for a first view.
Do you only work with clients in Sydney and Melbourne?
Our team is based in Sydney and Melbourne, and we work with clients across Australia.
What happens in a free consultation?
A 30-minute call with a senior member of the team. You tell us what you are building, we ask about goals, users, timeline and budget, and we tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pitch deck, no obligation. Book a free consultation when it suits you.
Related capabilities
We design robust technical architectures that let your product scale securely as your business grows.
Continuous improvements, performance tuning and upgrades to keep your product competitive and resilient.
A fixed-price launch-readiness audit for apps built with AI tools, with a costed plan to launch.
Web and mobile applications for enterprise and government teams, built to work with the systems they already run.
Migrations from WordPress, Umbraco, Contentful and legacy CMSs to Directus, with content models, templates and SEO planned together.
In our clients' words
Founders and long-term partners on what it is like to build with us.
1 of 4
Our business has hundreds of suppliers and thousands of customers so we needed a highly robust structure and that’s exactly what was delivered by Julien, Jen and the RL development team.
We have a long standing partnership with Rocket Lab who provide Webjet with critical strategic and development services for our front-end websites.
Over the years Rocket Lab have seamlessly integrated with James Hardie in delivering a number of key projects for the business that to this day continue to be critical to the success and functionality of our operations.
The guys worked together very well with our internal resources and blended into our process seamlessly. We were very impressed with the level of skill from each of the engineers…
Tell us what you are building.
A 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no obligation. We will tell you if we are the right fit.
