Visual FoxPro (VFP) has been a powerful and flexible application programming language for over 25 years. Despite facing significant end-of-life challenges, it remains a vital technology for many organizations worldwide. As the technology landscape evolves rapidly, understanding the current state of VFP applications, modernization priorities, and migration strategies is essential for businesses relying on this legacy platform.
Macrosoft conducted the fifth Visual FoxPro Industry Best Practices Survey, capturing critical insights from VFP developers, businesses, and IT leaders worldwide during the last two weeks of March 2025. The survey was conducted using SurveyMonkey with 27 multiple-choice questions. Learn how organizations are overcoming legacy challenges, embracing modern technologies, and planning their migration strategies.
Download the full report here and gain access to the interactive reporting portal
Download NowThe 2025 Visual FoxPro Industry Survey is the fifth annual study conducted by Macrosoft, designed to track shifts in attitudes, challenges, and strategies related to VFP legacy application modernization. With a high completion rate of 95% and responses from a diverse group of companies, this survey offers a reliable and detailed snapshot of the VFP ecosystem today.
Whether you are a developer, IT manager, business leader, or technology strategist, this report delivers critical insights to help you:
One of the most striking findings from the survey is the polarization in the size of VFP applications currently in use. Most applications fall into two distinct categories:
The mid-sized applications (100,000 to 500,000 LOC) are declining in number, indicating fewer “easy win” modernization projects. This trend suggests that organizations are either maintaining smaller, more manageable systems or operating large, complex applications that require significant resources to modernize.
Why this matters:
Large applications tend to be more complex and resource-intensive to migrate, requiring strategic planning, scalable solutions, and longer timelines. Small applications, often departmental or niche systems, present more manageable modernization opportunities but still require careful attention to maintain business continuity.
The rise in very large VFP applications signals that migration projects are becoming more complex. These large codebases often contain decades of accumulated business logic, customizations, and integrations, making modernization a challenging endeavor.
Implications:
When asked about risks associated with maintaining or modernizing VFP applications, 59% of respondents identified operating system (OS) compatibility as the highest risk. This concern reflects the challenges many organizations face as newer OS versions, such as Windows 11, introduce compatibility issues with legacy VFP applications.
Other significant risks include:
While security is recognized as a concern, it is not the leading fear, indicating that many organizations may still be underestimating potential security risks inherent in legacy systems.
Industry awareness is growing:
A substantial 84% of respondents acknowledge the risks posed by lack of maintenance and updates, a marked increase from previous years. This growing awareness underscores the urgency for modernization or at least proactive maintenance to mitigate operational and security risks.
The survey reveals that organizations prioritize the following when modernizing their VFP applications:
Security and flexibility are also important but rank slightly lower than the above priorities. Interestingly, enhanced reporting and workflow changes are less urgent for most respondents, suggesting that core functionality and platform modernization take precedence.
What this means:
Modernization efforts are not just about replacing old technology but enabling business growth, agility, and innovation. Cloud and scalability priorities reflect the broader industry shift toward flexible, on-demand computing resources.
The biggest impediments to successful modernization are:
While time constraints and budget limitations remain challenges, they are less critical than knowledge gaps and lack of clarity.
Why this is important:
Legacy systems often suffer from poor or missing documentation, making it difficult to understand existing business logic and dependencies. Without clear requirements and technology roadmaps, modernization projects risk delays, cost overruns, and suboptimal outcomes.
Organizations initiate migration or modernization primarily due to:
Additionally, ensuring the company’s long-term viability has become a strong motivator, reflecting a strategic outlook on modernization.
Insight:
Modernization is increasingly viewed as a business imperative rather than just a technical upgrade. Meeting client expectations and staying competitive require continuous innovation and risk management.
Microsoft .Net remains the dominant modernization target platform, especially desktop-based .Net applications. However, browser-based .Net solutions are growing rapidly, indicating a shift toward web and cloud-based architectures.
Other platforms such as Java and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products are less favored, with Java losing traction and COTS rarely seen as a complete fit.
What this tells us:
Organizations are balancing familiarity and stability with the need to embrace modern, scalable, and accessible platforms. The split between desktop and browser-based .Net reflects diverse business needs and modernization strategies.
Nearly half of organizations prefer to migrate all legacy data to new systems, ensuring continuity and access to historical information. However, there is a rising trend toward selective migration of recent or relevant data, which can reduce complexity and storage costs.
Archiving old data is declining, as organizations seek to keep valuable information integrated within modern platforms.
Many organizations express interest in replacing the VFP database with modern databases like SQL Server while retaining the VFP front-end. This hybrid approach allows improved data security, scalability, and integration without a full application rewrite.
However, over 40% of respondents remain hesitant, indicating a need for education on the benefits and risks of backend modernization.
The survey explored attitudes toward using generative AI to automate VFP-to-.NET/Java code conversion. While there is cautious optimism about AI’s potential to reduce time and cost, concerns remain about:
This highlights the importance of human oversight and expertise in AI-assisted migration projects.
The survey shows a trend toward smaller in-house VFP development teams, often five or fewer people, with increasing reliance on freelancers and outsourced support. This shift reflects the dwindling supply of full-time VFP professionals and growing modernization pressures.
While outsourcing can fill talent gaps, it also raises risks related to knowledge retention and system reliability.
Survey participants suggested several areas for deeper exploration in future studies, including:
These topics reflect the evolving challenges and priorities in legacy modernization.
The 2025 Visual FoxPro Industry Survey reveals an industry at a crossroads, balancing the power and flexibility of VFP with the pressing need to modernize for scalability, security, and future growth. While technical challenges like OS compatibility and data migration remain, the biggest hurdles are often related to documentation, clarity, and strategic planning.
Organizations are increasingly aware of the risks of neglecting legacy systems and are motivated by business drivers such as new features, client demands, and long-term viability. The preference for Microsoft .Net platforms and the cautious but growing interest in AI-assisted migration reflect current technology trends.
For businesses relying on VFP, this survey provides critical insights to guide modernization efforts, emphasizing the importance of clear documentation, strategic roadmaps, and expert support to navigate the complexities of legacy transformation successfully.
Download the full report to learn more about Visual FoxPro best practices and usage statistics in 2025. We are also offering an interactive web page for a better understanding of the results.
Download the full report here and gain access to the interactive reporting portal
Download NowMacrosoft is available to provide an industry expert who can present these results as requested to industry user groups.
Direct Questions about this survey and request for speaking engagements to
Joe Rafanelli
Director, Technical Solutions
Macrosoft Inc.
[email protected]
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