Brandwave

How popular isBaofeng?

In September 2026, people searched for Baofeng by name about 95,900 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 48.5% of all global ham radio brand searches, placing Baofeng first out of 12 brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about ham radio brands, Baofeng appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the 12.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Baofeng is the most searched of 12 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. BaofengShare of searches 48.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. YaesuShare of searches 13.7%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. IcomShare of searches 7.7%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. RadioddityShare of searches 6.1%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 10th
  5. BTECHShare of searches 4.2%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+7 more

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Top ham radio brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Baofeng appeared in all five answers. Baofeng is the second most recommended of the 12.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Yaesu1st
  2. Baofeng2nd
  3. Kenwood3rd
  4. Icom4th
  5. AnyTone5th
  6. Elecraft6th
  7. Xiegu6th
  8. TIDRADIO8th
  9. FlexRadio9th
  10. Radioddity10th
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Baofeng5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Yaesu4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kenwood3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • AnyTone2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Xiegu2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Icom1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Radioddity1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • TIDRADIO1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • FlexRadio1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Elecraft1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about ham radio brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.

Which ham radio brands compete with Baofeng?

Baofeng against ham radio brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Baofeng, Yaesu, Icom, Radioddity, BTECH, TIDRADIO, FlexRadio, Quansheng, AnyTone, Elecraft, Xiegu. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBaofengYaesuIcomRadioddityBTECHTIDRADIOFlexRadioQuanshengAnyToneElecraftXieguKenwood
Oct 202547%16%8%5.9%1.6%4.8%3.9%4.8%2.6%2.6%1.4%1.4%
Nov 202546.2%15.9%7.4%7.1%1.8%4.8%4.8%3.9%2.6%2.6%1.4%1.5%
Dec 202546.3%16%7.4%5.8%2.4%4.8%4.8%3.9%3.2%2.6%1.4%1.4%
Jan 202649.9%14.2%7.1%5.2%3%5.2%3.5%4.2%2.8%2.3%1.2%1.4%
Feb 202648.8%13.8%7.8%6.2%2.1%5%3.4%4.1%3.4%2.7%1.5%1.3%
Mar 202645.6%15.5%7.8%7%2.8%4.7%3.8%3.8%3.1%3.1%1.4%1.5%
Apr 202647.4%13.4%8.1%6%3.1%4.9%4%4%3.3%3.3%1.2%1.4%
May 202643.8%14.7%9%6.6%2.3%5.4%4.4%4.4%2.9%3.6%1.3%1.7%
Jun 202645.6%15.6%8.8%5.7%2.2%4.7%4.7%3.8%2.5%3.8%1.4%1.3%
Jul 202646.3%13.1%9%7.1%2.7%4.8%3.9%3.9%2.6%3.2%2.1%1.4%
Aug 202643.4%14.8%8.4%8.1%5.6%4.4%3%3.6%2.4%3%2%1.4%
Sep 202648.5%13.7%7.7%6.1%4.2%4.1%3.3%3.3%2.7%2.7%2.2%1.3%

  1. 1.Baofeng

    48.5%

    Held 1st. 95.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share +5.1 points.

  2. 2.Yaesu

    13.7%

    Held 2nd. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  3. 3.Icom

    7.7%

    Held 3rd. 15.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  4. 4.Radioddity

    6.1%

    Held 4th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  5. 5.BTECH

    4.2%

    Held 5th. 8.3K estimated branded searches, -18.6% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.

  6. 6.TIDRADIO

    4.1%

    Held 6th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  7. 7.FlexRadio

    3.3%

    Moved from 9th to 7th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  8. 8.Quansheng

    3.3%

    Moved from 7th to 8th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  9. 9.AnyTone

    2.7%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  10. 10.Elecraft

    2.7%

    Moved from 8th to 10th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  11. 11.Xiegu

    2.2%

    Held 11th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  12. 12.Kenwood

    1.3%

    Held 12th. 2.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Baofeng and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Baofeng

11 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Baofeng changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Baofeng worldwide held steady, from 97.1K to 95.9K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Baofeng’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide increased from 47% to 48.5%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Baofeng’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 49.9% in January 2026 and was lowest at 43.4% in August 2026.

How did search popularity change for ham radio brands worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Baofeng gained share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 43.4% to 48.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Radioddity lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 8.1% to 6.1%.

  3. In September 2026, BTECH lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 5.6% to 4.2%.

  4. In September 2026, Yaesu lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 14.8% to 13.7%.

  5. In September 2026, Icom lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 8.4% to 7.7%.

  6. Elecraft’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.8% to 2.7% in September 2026.

How are Baofeng’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Baofeng’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • baofeng
  • baofeng uv5r

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