About Start Software

Start Software is an award-winning developer and leading publisher of asbestos software, systems for the legal services industry and more.

Want to know more about asbestos software Alpha Tracker? Alpha Tracker is the most used asbestos software in the UK, Australia & New Zealand with more than 60m items of asbestos data stored.

Our legal services software Alpha Legal helps will writers, accountants, solicitors, IFAs and estate agents to communicate securely with clients. Read about developments here on the blog.

Or need help with Alpha Anywhere or Alpha Transform projects or software development? You'll find useful info here.

Our Alpha Tracker Roadmap is now available. Check out what we have planned for 2026

A Closer Look at What’s Coming Next

At Alpha Tracker we always listen closely to our users. That insight helps us plan updates that make the software more capable, easier to use and better suited to real world project workflows.

Our 2026 Alpha Tracker Roadmap sets out the major releases we have planned this year. These updates reflect customer feedback, industry demand and our ongoing commitment to practical improvements.

It's going to be a busy 2026 for the Alpha Tracker team!


Release 42 (Q1): Customer-Driven Enhancements

We kick off the year with Release 42, which brings together a number of features we have been testing with customers:

  • Improvements to Water Hygiene data collection and reporting, including enhanced Client Portal workflows

  • Better automation of milestones and automated report email distribution

  • Improved QR code support for field teams

  • Enhanced admin automation, such as auto-populating of report recipients

  • Completion of the Australian asbestos risk assessment methodology

  • Ongoing security improvements across the product

This release lays a strong foundation for the rest of the year by focusing on core user needs and meaningful workflow improvements.

April: Release 42.1 — Technical and Cosmetic Refresh

Next up is Release 42.1, focused on general performance and usability:

  • Updated software framework for better overall performance

  • Faster import tools, making data loading quicker

  • A fresh look and cleaner user interface, optimized for tablets and desktop

  • Usage tracking to guide future performance improvements

  • Integration with Assure360

  • API updates to support integrations with external systems

These enhancements make Alpha Tracker easier and faster to use day-to-day.

May: Release 42.2 — AI Enhancements

Building on the AI work we started in 2025, Release 42.2 brings multiple AI-powered features:

  • Jotter auto-summaries to help reduce time spent writing narrative text

  • An AI photo analyser to assist with image tagging and interpretation

  • Better list summaries throughout the product

  • An updated and integrated AI QC checker

  • Tracker Agent, our AI-powered replacement for Tracker Filer

These tools are designed to save time and support quality control across busy workflows.

June: Release 42.3 — Finance

Customers have been clear that finance workflows matter. Release 42.3 focuses on:

  • Improved Xero integration for smoother accounting workflows

  • Faster, easier invoicing

  • A new application for payment process

  • A special feature to support designated charities

This release makes financial processes in Alpha Tracker quicker and more flexible.

Custom Regional Updates: Release 42.4 (Australia & New Zealand)

We are batching up changes requested specifically by our Australian and New Zealand asbestos consultancy clients and delivering these in Release 42.4.

Later Releases in 2026

After that we have a series of updates focused on specific areas of the product:

Release 42.5: Sales, Customer Service and Client Portal

This update will improve how your customers interact with Alpha Tracker through the Client Portal and optimise internal sales and service processes.

Release 42.6: Calendar & Maps

Expect new and improved calendar views, tighter integration with What3Words, enhanced mapping capability and a new Calendar Sync module.

Release 42.7: Fire Risk Module

We are rebuilding the Fire Risk assessment module from the ground up and plan to release this later in the year.

Release 42.8: Accessibility

Alpha Tracker already meets many accessibility standards. In this release we go further, especially for users with limited vision.

Release 42.9: Technical Refresh

Towards the end of the year we intend to retire some older modules “behind the scenes” and replace them with a new product core, setting the stage for Release 43 and future development.

What This Means for You

This roadmap shows a clear progression through performance, usability, AI, finance, regional customisation and specialised updates. It reflects both our development priorities and the real needs of Alpha Tracker users.

We will continue to refine and adapt based on feedback as the year progresses, and you can expect each release to bring practical improvements to your workflows.

If you have specific ideas or requests for future releases, please get in touch. Your insight helps shape Alpha Tracker’s direction.

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