Baofeng vs Kenwood:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Baofeng had more branded searches than Kenwood among ham radio brands worldwide. Baofeng had about 95,900 branded searches, while Kenwood had 2,600. Baofeng made up 48.5% of all ham radio brand searches we track, and Kenwood accounted for 1.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about ham radio brands, Baofeng appeared in all five answers and Kenwood in three. Baofeng was mentioned before Kenwood in three out of four answers.
Who do people search for more?
Baofeng, about 37 searches for every 1 for Kenwood
Who does AI mention more?
Baofeng, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Baofeng, named ahead of Kenwood in 3 of 4 answers
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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. Kenwood was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Baofeng was listed before Kenwood in three out of four answers.
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.
- 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
See every answer about ham radio brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best ham radio for beginners?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which handheld ham radio should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best amateur radio brands?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ham radio”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“handheld ham radio”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.
Is Baofeng or Kenwood more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Baofeng and Kenwood 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 by month for Baofeng, Kenwood. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| 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% |
How has the Baofeng and Kenwood comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Baofeng was ahead of Kenwood in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Baofeng’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide moved from 47% to 48.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 97.1K to 95.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kenwood’s share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide moved from 1.4% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.9K to 2.6K.
How did search popularity change for ham radio brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Baofeng gained share of searches among ham radio brands worldwide, from 43.4% to 48.5%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Kenwood worldwide fell 10.3% over 12 measured months, from 2.9K to 2.6K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
4 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Baofeng’s and Kenwood’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among ham radio brands
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