2Dig Plain comparisons of crane signalling and jobsite communication tools

ESChat vs Hytera HALO in 2026

Compare ESChat and Hytera HALO for a crane crew: what each does, its published prices, and how to match a tool to a jobsite.

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

A crane crew member has to reach the rest of the crew while the crane moves, and the options below meet that need in different ways. OperatorLink shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser [1]. ESChat's pages, as cited on this page, describe a cloud hosted push-to-talk service at $5.99 per user per month [2], a free 30-day trial [3], and a $125 yearly fee for each RoIP or SDK gateway connection [2]. Hytera HALO's pages, as cited on this page, describe digital evidence management [4], integrated command and control solutions [4], and TETRA radios [4]. Which option fits depends on the needs described by each source, including OperatorLink's signal handling claims [1], ESChat's published service facts [2], and Hytera HALO's published product facts [4].

OptionOwn feeCard fee
ESChatCloud hosted service $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2]; free 30-day trial [3]; $125 per year per RoIP or SDK gateway connection [2]not published
Hytera HALOnot publishednot published
OperatorLinkFree to use; no paid plan is built yet [1]not published

What ESChat, Hytera HALO is built for

The facts gathered for this page describe ESChat in pricing terms and Hytera HALO through products such as integrated command and control solutions and TETRA radios [4] [4]. ESChat charges $5.99 per user per month for cloud hosted service to commercial customers [2]. It offers a free 30-day trial [3]. It charges $125 per year for each RoIP or SDK gateway connection [2]. Those facts describe plan prices, and they do not say how ESChat handles signals, stops or voice on a jobsite, so this page says nothing about those jobs for it. Hytera HALO's pages describe integrated command and control solutions, TETRA radios, and digital evidence management [4] [4] [4]. The company offers integrated command and control solutions [4]. It offers TETRA radios [4]. It offers a digital evidence management solution [4]. These facts describe equipment and dispatch systems, and they give no price and no steps for adding crew members or passing signals on a jobsite.

What OperatorLink is built for

OperatorLink is made by the team that publishes this site. For a crane crew member, it shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser [1]. A 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, and if the move stops arriving for 2 seconds, the other phones drop it [1]. One-tap messages such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat [1]. Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser [1].

Pricing and fees

ESChat charges $5.99 per user per month for cloud hosted service to commercial customers [2], and it offers a free 30-day trial [3]. It charges $125 per year for each RoIP or SDK gateway connection [2]. The facts gathered for this page do not give a Hytera HALO price, so that price is not published here. OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet [1]. The card fee is not published for any option. A crew that expects to pay with a card should ask each provider for its fee before choosing.

Setting it up on a jobsite

OperatorLink runs in a phone browser with no app install [1]. The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it [1]. Phones can add the app to their home screen as a standalone app [1]. A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins [1], and a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours [1]. Button presses, chat and voice pass between phones in the browser [1]. For ESChat and Hytera HALO, the facts gathered here do not describe how a crew is added, how signals pass, or how a jobsite is started. The ESChat facts give plan prices and a trial [2] [3], and the Hytera facts describe radios and dispatch products [4] [4], so the crew should confirm the rest with each provider directly before a shift.

Things to check before you choose

Does your crew need signals such as STOP, HOLD and SLOW sent to every phone, and how will you test that each option passes them before a lift? Which phones does the crew use, and would the on screen alert on its own be enough? A jobsite link that stops working 12 hours after the first person joins, and a jobsite with nobody in it that is wiped after 3 idle hours, should be checked against your shift length [1] [1]. For ESChat, how is the service billed per user, and what does the RoIP or SDK gateway connection fee cover? For Hytera HALO, which radios and command products would the crew actually use, and what do they cost?

How to choose

If the crew needs a stop that reaches every phone, OperatorLink's sources describe a STOP that releases every held direction and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else [1]. If the crew needs HOLD and SLOW to stay on until the jobsite empties, OperatorLink's sources describe that too [1]. If the crew wants a free start with no paid plan, OperatorLink is currently free to use [1]. If the crew wants a pay per user cloud service with a free 30-day trial, ESChat's pages describe that [3] [2]. If the crew already works with the radios and dispatch equipment Hytera describes, check those products against the job [4] [4]. A crew that needs signal handling plus hardware or a pay per user service should check each option against both needs, because no single source here covers both.

Frequently asked questions

Is ESChat free to try?

ESChat offers a free 30-day trial [3]. After the trial, its cloud hosted service is $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2], and a RoIP or SDK gateway connection costs $125 per year [2]. The sources cited here give no card fee for ESChat. A crew should confirm the current terms with ESChat before a shift.

Does ESChat handle crane signals?

The facts gathered for this page describe ESChat through its plan prices and a free 30-day trial, and they do not describe how it handles signals such as STOP, HOLD or SLOW on a jobsite [3] [2]. This page therefore says nothing about those jobs for ESChat. A crew that needs signal handling should check directly with ESChat before choosing it.

Does Hytera HALO have a price?

The facts gathered for this page describe Hytera HALO as a range of products, including TETRA radios [4], integrated command and control solutions [4], and digital evidence management [4]. These pages give no price, so one is not published here. A crew should ask Hytera for a quote on the specific radios and equipment it needs.

Is OperatorLink free to use?

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet [1]. The sources cited on this page give no price beyond that. The card fee is not published for any option, so a crew that expects to pay one should check before choosing. Prices can change, so confirm the current terms with the product before a shift.

Does OperatorLink work on a phone?

OperatorLink runs in a phone browser with no app install [1]. A phone can add it to its home screen as a standalone app [1]. Button presses, chat and voice pass between phones in the browser [1]. A crew member should check whether the on screen alert is enough for the phones the crew uses.

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. ESChat, eschat.com/pricing, read 2026-10-10
  3. ESChat, eschat.com, read 2026-10-10
  4. Hytera HALO, hytera.com, read 2026-10-13

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