If your cabinet boxes are solid and the doors close properly, painting is almost always the smarter move. You keep the layout, skip the demolition, and get a new-looking kitchen in days instead of weeks. Replacing makes sense when the boxes are water-damaged, the layout doesn't work, or you want a different door style entirely.
The difference between a cabinet paint job that lasts and one that chips in six months is entirely in the process. Doors and drawer fronts come off. Every surface gets degreased, because kitchen grease is invisible and paint won't stick to it. Then sanding, a bonding primer designed for slick finishes, and two coats of a hard enamel.
Spraying versus brushing matters too. Brushed cabinets show brush marks and take longer to cure. Sprayed doors get a smooth, factory-style finish. We spray doors and drawer fronts in a controlled area and mask the kitchen carefully to spray the frames in place.
Expect a painted-cabinet project to take about a week from start to finish, including cure time before the doors go back on. Plan to use a temporary kitchen setup for a few days. Then enjoy a kitchen that looks new for a fraction of what replacement would have cost.