2Dig Plain comparisons of crane signalling and jobsite communication tools

Best push-to-talk apps for crane crews for lift directors in 2026

Compare push-to-talk tools for lift directors using published features, joining methods, pricing details, and questions to ask.

By 2Dig ยท

2Dig is published by the makers of OperatorLink, which is compared here alongside other tools.

OperatorLink shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew in a phone browser, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones. [1]

OptionCostDevice and join
OperatorLinkFree, no paid plan built yet. [1]Phone browser, no app install; crew joins from a shared link or QR code. [1][1]
Zello$8.00 per user per month, or $6.80 with an annual subscription. [2]Runs on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. [3]
VoxerPersonal plan free; 14-day business trial. [4][5]Not published
GroupTalkFree 14-day trial. [6]Private cloud or on-premises deployment. [6]
Peak PTT$229 per radio plus $19.95 activation fee and $24.95 per month per radio. [7]LTE radio hardware transmitting over AT&T's nationwide network. [7]

What lift directors need from push-to-talk apps for crane crews

Lift directors coordinate the people involved in a lift and need clear communication between the crew members involved in the work. A missed message or unclear direction can interrupt the work and require the crew to confirm what happens next. The tool a lift director chooses should make directions easy to see, allow the crew to communicate, and match the devices and conditions on the jobsite. A lift director should compare how each tool passes directions, how long signals stay visible, how people join, and what happens when a connection changes. Voice calls can help with discussion, while visible directions can help when a crew needs to focus on the lift.

OperatorLink for lift directors

OperatorLink is made by the team that publishes this site. It runs in a phone browser, so no app install is needed. [1] It passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a browser. [1] STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. [1] HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves. [1] Holding a move button keeps sending that move to the other phones; if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, they drop it. [1] One-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat messages. [1] Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser. [1] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it. [1] A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it. [1] A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [1] OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1]

Zello for lift directors

Zello Work costs $8.00 per user per month, or $6.80 with an annual subscription. [2] Zello supports payment by wire transfer, ACH, or check besides credit card. [2] Zello offers its product free for first responders. [3]

Voxer for lift directors

Voxer's Personal plan is free. [4] Voxer offers a 14-day free trial for business. [5] Voxer integrates with Procore contacts to create groups. [8]

GroupTalk for lift directors

GroupTalk offers a free 14-day trial. [6] The page offers a free trial and a sales contact. [9] GroupTalk is named as a choice of construction companies including NCC, Veidekke, and YIT. [9]

Peak PTT for lift directors

Peak PTT's PTT-84G is priced at $229, with a $19.95 activation fee and $24.95 per month for unlimited push-to-talk, with no contracts. [7] Peak PTT offers predictable flat monthly pricing. [7]

Matching the tool to the job

A lift director who needs visible STOP, HOLD and SLOW directions can compare OperatorLink because it shows those directions to the jobsite crew in a phone browser. [1] A lift director who needs voice communication can compare tools that publish voice features, including OperatorLink, which allows anyone who joins to take part in a voice call from the phone browser. [1] Zello publishes pricing for its Work plan, which can help a lift director compare user-based costs. [2] A crew that uses Procore contacts can compare Voxer's group creation feature. [8] GroupTalk publishes a free trial and a sales contact for crews that want more details before choosing. [6][9] Peak PTT publishes per-radio pricing information for teams comparing radio hardware options. [7]

Questions to ask before you choose

Does the tool keep a direction visible until the crew registers it? Can people join from a shared link, or does the crew need another setup step? Which phones can each person use? How does the tool handle a move command if a phone stops receiving updates? Does the tool offer voice communication, visible directions, or both? What does each option charge, and is the price based on users, devices, or another measure? Does the tool offer the features needed for the parts of the jobsite where the crew works?

Frequently asked questions

Can OperatorLink show crane lift directions in a phone browser?

OperatorLink shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. [1] It also runs in a phone browser with no app install. [1]

Is OperatorLink free for crane crews?

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1] A lift director can compare that with tools that publish other pricing or trial details.

How much does Zello cost for push-to-talk?

Zello Work costs $8.00 per user per month, or $6.80 with an annual subscription. [2] Zello also says it offers its product free for first responders. [3]

Can crane crews compare free push-to-talk options?

Voxer's Personal plan is free, and Voxer offers a 14-day free trial for business. [4][5] GroupTalk offers a free 14-day trial. [6] OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1]

What should a lift director check before choosing a push-to-talk tool?

A lift director should check how each tool passes directions, how people join, what devices are supported, and what the published pricing says. OperatorLink lets a person starting a jobsite share a link or QR code for crew joining. [1]

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1]

Try OperatorLink

Sources

  1. OperatorLink's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  2. Zello, zello.com/pricing, read 2026-10-08
  3. Zello, zello.com, read 2026-10-08
  4. Voxer, voxer.com/plans-and-pricing, read 2026-10-08
  5. Voxer, voxer.com/business, read 2026-10-08
  6. GroupTalk, grouptalk.com, read 2026-10-08
  7. Peak PTT, peakptt.com/pages/construction-companies, read 2026-10-08
  8. Voxer, voxer.com/construction, read 2026-10-08
  9. GroupTalk, grouptalk.com/why-grouptalk/we-across-industries/construction, read 2026-10-08

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