--- {"title": "Push-to-talk options for crane crews", "description": "Compare push-to-talk options for crane crews, from phone apps to headset systems. OperatorLink, Zello, GroupTalk, Peak PTT and Eartec.", "url": "https://2dig.com/voxer-alternatives/", "date": "2026-10-10"} --- Compare push-to-talk options for crane crews, from phone apps to headset systems. OperatorLink, Zello, GroupTalk, Peak PTT and Eartec. Push-to-talk options for crane crews run from phone apps to dedicated radios to hands-free headset systems. The five below cover different ways to run signals, and each states its own price or trial. | Option | Own fee | Card payment | |---|---|---| | Zello | Zello Work $8.00 per user per month, or $6.80 with annual subscription [^1] | Not published | | GroupTalk | Free 14-day trial [^2] | Not published | | OperatorLink | Currently free, no paid plan built yet [^3] | Not published | | Peak PTT | PTT-84G radio 229, 19.95 activation, 24.95 per month unlimited push-to-talk [^4] | Not published | | Eartec | Price not published | Not published | ## Why crane crews look past Voxer Voxer's Personal plan is free for individuals. [^5] Work use opens with a 14-day free trial for business. [^6] Those are the only facts about Voxer on this page, so the reasons here stay neutral. A crew matches a tool to the phones already on site, the size of the crew, and what the whole crew pays over a season. Because the free Voxer plan is aimed at individuals, a crew should check its own coverage on its own. The alternatives below each handle coverage, pricing and phones in their own way, and this page gives the facts a reader can use to weigh them. ## Zello: phone and computer push-to-talk Zello runs on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. [^7] Zello Work costs 8.00 per user per month, or 6.80 with an annual subscription. [^1] A crew that cannot run a phone or computer app should check the coverage and pricing each option below states before comparing it to Zello. ## GroupTalk: construction push-to-talk with alarms and location GroupTalk offers a free 14-day trial. [^2] Group voice channels allow simultaneous communication across multiple teams. [^8] A free trial and a sales contact are offered. [^8] A crew that wants alarms and location tracking should check whether those fit its own site before relying on them. ## OperatorLink: phone browser signals of STOP, HOLD and SLOW OperatorLink is made by the team that publishes this site. It shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. [^3] For the crew, STOP means stop everything, HOLD means pause and wait, and SLOW means proceed at a reduced pace, so a signal person can tell the operator to halt, hold in place, or ease off with three plain commands. STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. [^3] HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves. [^3] Holding a move button keeps sending that move to the other phones; if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, they drop it. [^3] One-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat messages. [^3] Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser. [^3] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it. [^3] A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it. [^3] A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [^3] On Android browsers signals such as STOP make the phone buzz; iPhone Safari ignores the buzz. [^3] The app can be added to a phone's home screen as a standalone app. [^3] OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [^3] It runs in a phone browser with no app install. [^3] Button presses, chat and voice pass between phones in a browser. [^3] ## Peak PTT: a dedicated push-to-talk radio on the cellular network The PTT-84G radio costs $229, with a $19.95 activation fee and $24.95 per month for unlimited push-to-talk, with no contracts. [^4] Core radio service is priced at $24.95 per month per radio for unlimited nationwide push-to-talk on Tier-1 U.S. carrier native SIMs. [^9] An optional dispatch seat, a computer used to run dispatch from any PC instead of a base station, costs $12 per month per seat. [^9] A crew should check on its own which carrier network covers its site, since the page does not name one for it. [^9] ## Eartec: hands-free wireless headsets for the lift Both the EPak and PRO16 systems let several crew members connect and communicate at the same time on one setup. [^10] Orders ship within 1-3 business days. [^10] The company says it has provided customer support for over 60 years. [^10] A crew that wants this kind of headset gear should check the features of each named system on Eartec's own page. ## How to pick the right Voxer alternative A crew starts with the phones and gear already on site. If the crew wants to run push-to-talk on phones and computers, Zello runs on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac and states a per-user monthly price. [^7] [^1] If signals like STOP, HOLD and SLOW matter most and a browser app is acceptable, OperatorLink shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. [^3] It is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet; that free status may change. [^3] If the priority is groups across teams, GroupTalk states that group voice channels allow simultaneous communication across multiple teams, and it offers a free 14-day trial. [^8] [^2] If the crew wants a dedicated radio rather than a phone app, Peak PTT states its hardware and monthly prices and its per-radio flat monthly rate. [^4] [^9] If hands-free headsets are the goal, Eartec states how many users each system takes and that orders ship within 1-3 business days. [^10] [^10] For any option, the crew should check what its own phones and network support before choosing. ## Things to check before you choose Match the option to the phones and coverage on site. A browser-based tool depends on the phone browser and the signal each person carries, so a crew checks that before a shift. Confirm the price each option states covers the whole crew, and for any option that lists a trial, check what happens when it ends. If the crew needs a signal that must always be visible, ask how that tool keeps it on the phone. If the crew works in areas with weak coverage, ask how the tool behaves there. These checks belong to the crew, because the facts on this page do not cover them. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Zello Work cost? Zello Work costs $8.00 per user per month, or $6.80 with an annual subscription. [^1] Zello runs on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. [^7] A crew should check how many people need it and which devices they carry before choosing a plan of its own. ### How does GroupTalk handle teams? GroupTalk states that group voice channels allow simultaneous communication across multiple teams. [^8] GroupTalk offers a free 14-day trial. [^2] A crew should check how those channels map to its own site and roles before relying on them. ### Is there a plan for Voxer? Voxer's Personal plan is free for individuals. [^5] Business use opens with a 14-day free trial, and its page says to start that trial. [^6] A crew thinking about the free plan should check whether that individual plan covers everyone who works on its jobsite. ### What does OperatorLink cost? OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [^3] It runs in a phone browser with no app install. [^3] A crew should check on its own what the browser and each person's phone support before a shift, since the price does not cover signal strength or device limits. ### Do the radio options need contracts? Peak PTT states its PTT-84G service at $24.95 per month for unlimited push-to-talk, with no contracts. [^4] A crew should confirm on its own whether its site's coverage matches the network the radio uses before committing. OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [^3] - [Visit OperatorLink](/go/voxer-alternatives) ## Sources [^1]: Zello, zello.com/pricing, read 2026-10-08 (https://zello.com/pricing) [^2]: GroupTalk, grouptalk.com, read 2026-10-08 (https://grouptalk.com/) [^3]: OperatorLink's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/voxer-alternatives) [^4]: Peak PTT, peakptt.com/pages/construction-companies, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.peakptt.com/pages/construction-companies) [^5]: Voxer, voxer.com/plans-and-pricing, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.voxer.com/plans-and-pricing) [^6]: Voxer, voxer.com/business, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.voxer.com/business) [^7]: Zello, zello.com, read 2026-10-08 (https://zello.com/) [^8]: GroupTalk, grouptalk.com/why-grouptalk/we-across-industries/construction, read 2026-10-08 (https://grouptalk.com/why-grouptalk/we-across-industries/construction) [^9]: Peak PTT, peakptt.com/pages/peak-push-to-talk-pricing-matrix, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.peakptt.com/pages/peak-push-to-talk-pricing-matrix) [^10]: Eartec, eartecindustrial.com/crane-lift, read 2026-10-08 (https://eartecindustrial.com/crane-lift/)