ESChat vs Voxer in 2026
Compare ESChat and Voxer for a crane crew: what each does, its published prices, jobsite setup, and how to choose.
2Dig is published by the makers of OperatorLink, which is compared here alongside other tools.
A crane crew choosing push-to-talk can compare ESChat and Voxer on what their own pages promise, their published prices, and jobsite setup. ESChat's pages, as cited on this page, describe a push-to-talk service for smartphones and IoT devices and a free 30-day trial [1] [1], with cloud hosted service at $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2]. Voxer's pages, as cited on this page, describe a free personal plan, a 14-day free trial for business, and a sync of Procore contacts that creates groups [3] [4] [5]. Which one fits depends on whether a crew wants a smartphone push-to-talk service on a published monthly price or a group set up from Procore contacts.
| Option | Own fee | Card fee |
|---|---|---|
| ESChat | $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2]; free 30-day trial [1] | not published |
| Voxer | Personal plan free for individuals [3]; 14-day free trial for business [4] | not published |
| OperatorLink | Free to use; no paid plan is built yet [6] | not published |
The short answer
A crane crew member needs to get signals and talk to the whole crew while the crane moves. ESChat's pages describe a push-to-talk service for smartphones and IoT devices [1]. Voxer's pages, as cited on this page, describe a free personal plan, a 14-day free trial for business, and a sync of Procore contacts that creates groups [3] [4] [5]. ESChat's pages give a commercial cloud price of $5.99 per user per month [2] and a free 30-day trial [1]. Neither set of cited facts describes signals such as STOP, HOLD or SLOW on a jobsite, so a crew with that need should check it directly with each provider.
What ESChat and Voxer are built for
ESChat, as cited on this page, is a subscription push-to-talk service for smartphones and IoT devices [1]. Its cloud hosted service is priced at $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2]. ESChat offers a free 30-day trial [1]. Those facts do not describe how ESChat handles signals such as STOP or HOLD on a jobsite, so this page does not say what it does for those jobs.
Voxer's Personal plan is free for individuals [3]. Voxer offers a 14-day free trial for business [4]. Voxer integrates with Procore contacts to create groups, and its page says to sync Procore contacts with Voxer to create groups [5]. The cited facts do not describe how Voxer handles signals or voice on a jobsite, so this page does not say what it does for those jobs.
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 browser [6]. A STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else [6]. HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves [6]. 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 [6]. One-tap messages such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat [6]. Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser [6].
Pricing and fees
ESChat's cloud hosted service costs $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2], and ESChat offers a free 30-day trial [1]. Voxer's Personal plan is free for individuals [3]. For business, Voxer offers a 14-day free trial [4]. The facts gathered here do not give a Voxer business price after the trial, so that price is not published here. OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet [6]. The card fee is not published for any of the three. A crew that expects to pay a card fee should ask each provider for it before choosing.
Setting it up on a jobsite
OperatorLink runs in a phone browser with no app install [6]. The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it [6]. Phones can add it to their home screen as a standalone app [6]. A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins [6], and a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours [6]. Button presses, chat and voice pass between phones in the browser [6].
For ESChat and Voxer, the facts gathered here do not describe how a crew is added or how a jobsite is started. ESChat's page describes a push-to-talk service for phones [1], and Voxer's only setup fact is the Procore contact sync that creates groups [5], so the crew should confirm the rest with each provider before a shift.
Things to check before you choose
Which phones does the crew use? On Android browsers a signal such as STOP makes the phone buzz, but iPhone Safari ignores the buzz, so check whether a buzz alert matters for your crew [6].
Does a jobsite link that stops working 12 hours after the first person joins suit your shifts?
What will Voxer cost after its 14-day business trial, and which plan would the crew need? [4]
What will ESChat cost beyond its $5.99 per user per month cloud service, and does a 30-day trial cover a shift? [2] [1]
Which signals does the crew need on a jobsite, and how will you test that each tool passes them before a lift?
How to choose
If the crew needs phone-based push-to-talk, ESChat's page describes that service [1]. If the crew needs a published commercial price, ESChat's page gives $5.99 per user per month [2]. If the crew wants to try a service free first, ESChat offers a 30-day trial [1] and Voxer a 14-day business trial [4]. If the crew needs groups built from Procore contacts, Voxer's page describes that sync [5]. 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 [6], and it is free to use with no paid plan built yet [6]. A crew that needs both signal handling and a Procore group sync 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 [1]. After that, its cloud hosted service costs $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2]. The facts gathered for this page do not give a free personal plan for ESChat. Check ESChat's current trial and pricing terms before a shift.
Is Voxer free for individuals?
Voxer's Personal plan is free for individuals [3]. Voxer also offers a 14-day free trial for business [4]. The facts gathered for this page do not give Voxer's business price after that trial, so that price is not published here. Check Voxer's pricing directly before choosing a paid option for a crew.
Is OperatorLink free to use?
OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet [6]. The sources cited on this page give no price beyond that. The card fee is not published for any of the three options here, so a crew that expects to pay one should check before choosing. Prices can change, so confirm current terms with the product before a shift.
Does ESChat work on phones?
ESChat's page describes a push-to-talk service for smartphones and IoT devices [1]. Its cloud hosted service is priced at $5.99 per user per month for commercial customers [2]. The cited facts do not describe how a crew is added or how signals pass on a jobsite, so confirm those details with ESChat before relying on it.
How long does an OperatorLink jobsite link last?
A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it [6]. A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours [6]. The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it [6]. A crew whose shift runs past 12 hours should start a new jobsite with a fresh link.
OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [6]
Try OperatorLinkSources
Related comparisons
- Push-to-talk apps for crane crews compared (2026)
- Best push-to-talk apps for crane operators in 2026
- Push-to-talk apps for crane lift directors in 2026
- Push-to-talk apps for rigging supervisors in 2026
- Push-to-talk apps for crane signal persons and riggers
- Best push to talk apps for crane crews, site safety managers 2026
- Best push-to-talk apps for tower crane operators in 2026
- ESChat alternatives for crane crews in 2026
- ESChat vs GroupTalk in 2026: Crane Crew Tools Compared
- ESChat vs Microsoft Teams Walkie Talkie in 2026