HelpCrunch, WATI, Pure Chat, LivePerson, Rocket.Chat and Provide Support all sell the same small box in the corner of your screen. The differences between them explain how customer support quietly turned into a software industry worth billions.

While LivePerson chased conversational AI and Fortune 500 contracts, this quiet New York shop has run the same unlimited-chat, all-features-included live chat since 2003 - and more than 10,000 customers still pay for it.

Six tools - Tidio, Chaport, Rocket.Chat, ProProfs, Provide Support and GoDaddy - give away the little chat bubble that turns idle browsers into buyers. Here is how their free tiers actually stack up.