Ham radio brands:Which are most popular?

Name: Ham radio brands: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Baofeng was the most searched ham radio brand worldwide, accounting for 48.5% of all searches among the 12 brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Baofeng showed up in every answer. Yaesu was recommended most often, coming first in three out of four responses that gave a list.

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Top ham radio brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Baofeng appeared every time. Yaesu was recommended most often, coming first in three out of four answers that gave a list. Baofeng was second, and Kenwood was third. BTECH, which ranked fifth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Baofeng	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Yaesu	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Kenwood	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
AnyTone	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Xiegu	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Icom	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Radioddity	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
TIDRADIO	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
FlexRadio	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Elecraft	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
BTECH	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Quansheng	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

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
BTECH0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Quansheng0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about ham radio brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best ham radio for beginners?”
1. 1Yaesu
2. 2Baofeng
3. 3Xiegu
4. 4Radioddity
Asked ChatGPT
“Which handheld ham radio should I buy?”
1. 1Yaesu
2. 2Baofeng
3. 3Kenwood
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best amateur radio brands?”
1. 1Yaesu
2. 2Icom
3. 3Kenwood
4. 4Elecraft
5. 5FlexRadio
6. 6AnyTone
7. 7Baofeng
8. 8Xiegu
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ham radio”
1. 1Baofeng
Searched Google, AI Overview
“handheld ham radio”
1. 1Baofeng
2. 2Yaesu
3. 3TIDRADIO
4. 4AnyTone
5. 5Kenwood

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 do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each ham radio brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 ham radio brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, by month

Month	Baofeng	Yaesu	Icom	Radioddity	BTECH	TIDRADIO	FlexRadio	Quansheng	AnyTone	Elecraft	Xiegu	Kenwood
Oct 2025	47%	16%	8%	5.9%	1.6%	4.8%	3.9%	4.8%	2.6%	2.6%	1.4%	1.4%
Nov 2025	46.2%	15.9%	7.4%	7.1%	1.8%	4.8%	4.8%	3.9%	2.6%	2.6%	1.4%	1.5%
Dec 2025	46.3%	16%	7.4%	5.8%	2.4%	4.8%	4.8%	3.9%	3.2%	2.6%	1.4%	1.4%
Jan 2026	49.9%	14.2%	7.1%	5.2%	3%	5.2%	3.5%	4.2%	2.8%	2.3%	1.2%	1.4%
Feb 2026	48.8%	13.8%	7.8%	6.2%	2.1%	5%	3.4%	4.1%	3.4%	2.7%	1.5%	1.3%
Mar 2026	45.6%	15.5%	7.8%	7%	2.8%	4.7%	3.8%	3.8%	3.1%	3.1%	1.4%	1.5%
Apr 2026	47.4%	13.4%	8.1%	6%	3.1%	4.9%	4%	4%	3.3%	3.3%	1.2%	1.4%
May 2026	43.8%	14.7%	9%	6.6%	2.3%	5.4%	4.4%	4.4%	2.9%	3.6%	1.3%	1.7%
Jun 2026	45.6%	15.6%	8.8%	5.7%	2.2%	4.7%	4.7%	3.8%	2.5%	3.8%	1.4%	1.3%
Jul 2026	46.3%	13.1%	9%	7.1%	2.7%	4.8%	3.9%	3.9%	2.6%	3.2%	2.1%	1.4%
Aug 2026	43.4%	14.8%	8.4%	8.1%	5.6%	4.4%	3%	3.6%	2.4%	3%	2%	1.4%
Sep 2026	48.5%	13.7%	7.7%	6.1%	4.2%	4.1%	3.3%	3.3%	2.7%	2.7%	2.2%	1.3%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Baofeng	48.5%	95.9K	+20.8%	+5.1 points
2, held 2nd	Yaesu	13.7%	27.1K	0%	-1.1 points
3, held 3rd	Icom	7.7%	15.3K	0%	-0.6 points
4, held 4th	Radioddity	6.1%	12.1K	-18.2%	-2 points
5, held 5th	BTECH	4.2%	8.3K	-18.6%	-1.4 points
6, held 6th	TIDRADIO	4.1%	8.1K	0%	-0.3 points
7, moved from 9th to 7th	FlexRadio	3.3%	6.6K	+22.2%	+0.4 pointsmoved from 9th to 7th
8, moved from 7th to 8th	Quansheng	3.3%	6.6K	0%	-0.3 pointsmoved from 7th to 8th
9, moved from 10th to 9th	AnyTone	2.7%	5.4K	+22.7%	+0.3 pointsmoved from 10th to 9th
10, moved from 8th to 10th	Elecraft	2.7%	5.4K	0%	-0.2 pointsmoved from 8th to 10th
11, held 11th	Xiegu	2.2%	4.4K	+22.2%	+0.3 points
12, held 12th	Kenwood	1.3%	2.6K	0%	-0.1 points

1.Baofeng
48.5%
Held 1st. 95.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share +5.1 points.
2.Yaesu
13.7%
Held 2nd. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
3.Icom
7.7%
Held 3rd. 15.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.
4.Radioddity
6.1%
Held 4th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -2 points.
5.BTECH
4.2%
Held 5th. 8.3K estimated branded searches, -18.6% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.
6.TIDRADIO
4.1%
Held 6th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
7.FlexRadio
3.3%
Moved from 9th to 7th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
8.Quansheng
3.3%
Moved from 7th to 8th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
9.AnyTone
2.7%
Moved from 10th to 9th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
10.Elecraft
2.7%
Moved from 8th to 10th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
11.Xiegu
2.2%
Held 11th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
12.Kenwood
1.3%
Held 12th. 2.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among ham radio brands worldwide?

12 brands

In September 2026, Baofeng was the most searched among ham radio brands worldwide, with an estimated 95.9K branded searches, 48.5% of all searches for the 12 we track. Yaesu is in 2nd place, 34.8 percentage points behind at 13.7%.

Global ham radio brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Baofeng	47% → 48.5%	49.9%Jan 2026	43.4%Aug 2026	1st
Yaesu	16% → 13.7%	16%Oct 2025	13.1%Jul 2026	2nd
Icom	8% → 7.7%	9%Jul 2026	7.1%Jan 2026	3rd
Radioddity	5.9% → 6.1%	8.1%Aug 2026	5.2%Jan 2026	4th
BTECH	1.6% → 4.2%	5.6%Aug 2026	1.6%Oct 2025	10th → 5th
TIDRADIO	4.8% → 4.1%	5.4%May 2026	4.1%Sep 2026	6th
FlexRadio	3.9% → 3.3%	4.8%Dec 2025	3%Aug 2026	7th
Quansheng	4.8% → 3.3%	4.8%Oct 2025	3.3%Sep 2026	5th → 8th
AnyTone	2.6% → 2.7%	3.4%Feb 2026	2.4%Aug 2026	8th → 9th
Elecraft	2.6% → 2.7%	3.8%Jun 2026	2.3%Jan 2026	9th → 10th
Xiegu	1.4% → 2.2%	2.2%Sep 2026	1.2%Apr 2026	12th → 11th
Kenwood	1.4% → 1.3%	1.7%May 2026	1.3%Sep 2026	11th → 12th

Each finding as a sentence

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, Yaesu’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide decreased from 16% to 13.7%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BTECH’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide increased from 1.6% to 4.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TIDRADIO’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide decreased from 4.8% to 4.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, FlexRadio’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide decreased from 3.9% to 3.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Quansheng’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide decreased from 4.8% to 3.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xiegu’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide increased from 1.4% to 2.2%.
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.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Yaesu’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 16% in October 2025 and was lowest at 13.1% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Icom’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 9% in July 2026 and was lowest at 7.1% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Radioddity’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 8.1% in August 2026 and was lowest at 5.2% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BTECH’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 5.6% in August 2026 and was lowest at 1.6% in October 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TIDRADIO’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 5.4% in May 2026 and was lowest at 4.1% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, FlexRadio’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 4.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 3% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Elecraft’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 3.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 2.3% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xiegu’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide peaked at 2.2% in September 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in April 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BTECH rose from 10th to 5th among ham radio brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Quansheng fell from 5th to 8th among ham radio brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AnyTone fell from 8th to 9th among ham radio brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Elecraft fell from 9th to 10th among ham radio brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xiegu rose from 12th to 11th among ham radio brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kenwood fell from 11th to 12th among ham radio brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Icom and Radioddity held steady: their share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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

8 changes

In September 2026, Baofeng gained share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 43.4% to 48.5%.
In September 2026, Radioddity lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 8.1% to 6.1%.
In September 2026, BTECH lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 5.6% to 4.2%.
In September 2026, Yaesu lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 14.8% to 13.7%.
In September 2026, Icom lost share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 8.4% to 7.7%.
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.
In September 2026, FlexRadio rose from 9th to 7th among ham radio brands worldwide.
In September 2026, AnyTone rose from 10th to 9th among ham radio brands worldwide.

How are branded searches counted for ham radio brands?

16 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among ham radio brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.