Two different jobs get lumped together under 'get the locks done,' and knowing which one you need changes the cost and the outcome.
Rekeying and replacing solve different problems, and the confusion between them is the single most common reason people either overpay or end up with the wrong result.
Rekeying opens the existing cylinder and swaps the small pins inside so a new key is required to turn it. The lock itself — the deadbolt, the knob, the housing — never comes off the door. It is fast, it is cheaper than replacement, and it fully solves the problem of an old key still working.
Replacing removes the hardware and installs new. It is the right call when the lock itself is worn out, damaged, the wrong grade for an exterior door, or when you want a different style or a smart lock. Replacing also resets the key from scratch, so it accomplishes what a rekey does plus a hardware upgrade.
Moving into a house, a tenant moving out, or losing a key you cannot account for are all situations where the lock is fine and the only real problem is who else might hold a copy. Rekeying handles all three at a fraction of replacement cost.
A lock that already sticks, grinds, or feels loose in the door was heading toward failure before the key question ever came up. So is a builder-grade deadbolt on a front door that deserves better security hardware. In both cases, rekeying a lock that needed replacing just delays the actual repair.
If you have more than one exterior door, ask about matched keying while the locksmith is already there. Doing it later as a separate visit costs more than folding it into whichever job — rekey or replace — you were already having done.
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