GroupTalk vs Relay in 2026

Q: Is GroupTalk free to use?

GroupTalk's page offers a free 14-day trial , and its page also offers a free trial and a sales contact . The facts gathered for this page give no GroupTalk price after that trial, so that price is not published here. Prices can change, so confirm the current terms with GroupTalk directly before choosing a paid option for a crew.

Q: How does Relay handle push-to-talk?

Relay's page says its push-to-talk works in 35 languages , and that the service provides nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi that needs no infrastructure investment . The cited facts say nothing about signals or a jobsite, so a crane crew with that need should check how Relay handles stops and moves directly with the provider.

GroupTalk and Relay for a crane crew: what each states it does, its published prices, and its setup, with OperatorLink as a third option.

By 2Dig · 2026-10-14

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

A crane crew member needs a clear way to talk and to raise an alert on a jobsite. GroupTalk's page says lone workers can alert nearby colleagues and central resources immediately ^[1]. Relay's page says it provides nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi ^[2] and push-to-talk in 35 languages ^[3]. Which one fits depends on whether the crew wants GroupTalk's lone-worker alert or Relay's wider coverage and language range, and on what each states for price and setup.

Option	Own fee	Card fee
GroupTalk	Free 14-day trial; page also offers Try for Free and Talk to Sales, with no price stated ^[4] ^[1]	not published
Relay	No price stated in the cited facts	not published
OperatorLink	Free to use; no paid plan is built yet ^[5]	not published

The short answer

A crane crew member needs a clear way to talk and to raise an alert on a jobsite. GroupTalk's page says lone workers or those exposed to higher risks can alert nearby colleagues and central resources immediately ^[1]. Relay's page says it provides nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi ^[2], and push-to-talk that works in 35 languages ^[3]. Which one fits depends on whether the crew wants GroupTalk's lone-worker alert or Relay's coverage and language range, and on what each states for price and setup before a shift.

What GroupTalk, Relay is built for

The facts gathered for this page come from the two companies' own pages. For GroupTalk, the cited facts describe a free 14-day trial ^[4] and a page that offers a free trial and a sales contact ^[1]. GroupTalk's page also says lone workers or those exposed to higher risks can alert nearby colleagues and central resources immediately ^[1]. Those facts do not describe how GroupTalk handles signals, stops or a jobsite, so this page does not say what it does for those jobs. For Relay, the cited facts describe push-to-talk in 35 languages ^[3], nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi that needs no infrastructure investment ^[2], and 7-day support with regular software updates ^[2]. Nothing in those facts covers signals on a jobsite, so a crew with that need should check it directly with each provider.

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 ^[5]. A STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else ^[5]. HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves ^[5]. 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 ^[5]. One-tap messages such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat ^[5]. Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser ^[5].

Pricing and fees

GroupTalk's page offers a free 14-day trial ^[4] and asks interested crews to start with the free trial or talk to sales ^[1]. The facts gathered for this page do not give a GroupTalk price after the trial, so that price is not published here. Relay's page gives no price in the cited facts, so its price is not published here. OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet ^[5]. The card fee is not published for any of the three options. A crew that expects to pay a card fee should ask each provider for it before choosing. Prices can change, so confirm the current terms with each provider before a shift.

Setting it up on a jobsite

Relay's page says its service provides nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi that needs no infrastructure investment ^[2]. The cited facts do not describe how a crew is added to GroupTalk or Relay, or how signals pass on a jobsite, so the crew should confirm that with each provider before a shift. OperatorLink runs in a phone browser with no app install ^[5]. The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it ^[5]. Phones can add the app to their home screen as a standalone app ^[5]. A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins ^[5], and a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours ^[5]. Button presses, chat and voice pass between phones in the browser ^[5].

Things to check before you choose

How will the crew join GroupTalk or Relay on a jobsite, and what happens to voice and alerts when phones lose coverage? Ask each provider before a lift. Does a jobsite link that stops working 12 hours after the first person joins suit your shifts? 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 ^[5]. What will GroupTalk and Relay cost after their trials and beyond the sales contact, and which plan would the crew need? 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 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 ^[5]. If the crew needs lone workers to alert nearby colleagues immediately, GroupTalk's page describes that ^[1]. If the crew needs push-to-talk in many languages, Relay's page describes push-to-talk in 35 languages ^[3]. If the crew needs nationwide coverage without building infrastructure, Relay's page describes that ^[2]. If the crew wants a free start, GroupTalk offers a free 14-day trial ^[4] and OperatorLink is currently free to use ^[5]. A crew that needs several of these should check each option against all of its needs, because no single source here covers every one.

Frequently asked questions

Is GroupTalk free to use?

GroupTalk's page offers a free 14-day trial ^[4], and its page also offers a free trial and a sales contact ^[1]. The facts gathered for this page give no GroupTalk price after that trial, so that price is not published here. Prices can change, so confirm the current terms with GroupTalk directly before choosing a paid option for a crew.

Does Relay work without infrastructure?

Relay's page says it provides nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi connectivity, requiring no infrastructure investment ^[2]. It also says it offers 7-day support and regular software updates ^[2]. The cited facts give no price and do not describe setup on a jobsite, so a crew should confirm those details with Relay directly.

Is OperatorLink free to use?

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet ^[5]. The sources cited on this page give no price beyond that. The card fee is not published for any option on this page, 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.

How does Relay handle push-to-talk?

Relay's page says its push-to-talk works in 35 languages ^[3], and that the service provides nationwide coverage with multi-carrier cellular and WiFi that needs no infrastructure investment ^[2]. The cited facts say nothing about signals or a jobsite, so a crane crew with that need should check how Relay handles stops and moves directly with the provider.

How long does an OperatorLink jobsite link last?

A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it ^[5]. A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours ^[5]. The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it ^[5]. 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. ^[5]

Try OperatorLink