CHIRP is a free, open-source Mac application that lets amateur radio operators read, edit, and write memory channel configurations to a wide range of handheld and mobile radios — all from a single, consistent interface.
What is CHIRP?
CHIRP is an open-source radio programming utility for Mac (and other platforms) that speaks directly to hundreds of amateur radio models from brands like Baofeng, Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom, and Wouxun. Instead of wrestling with a radio's buried menu system to program repeater frequencies, CTCSS tones, and channel names one by one, you do it all in a spreadsheet-style editor on your Mac and push the finished configuration to the radio in one shot.
I started using CHIRP the week I picked up my first HT, and I haven't touched the radio's keypad for bulk programming since. What used to take forty-five frustrating minutes now takes five.
What does CHIRP do best?
CHIRP's strongest suit is its breadth of radio support combined with a genuinely usable channel editor. You get a clean grid where each row is a memory channel — frequency, offset, tone mode, CTCSS/DCS code, channel name, duplex direction, mode, and more — and you can paste, sort, or bulk-edit across hundreds of channels at once.
- Import from repeater directories — pull in local repeaters from RadioReference or a saved CSV and sort by distance.
- Clone between radios — read from one Baofeng UV-5R, tweak the channel list, write to three more. Identical configs in minutes.
- Image files — save a .img snapshot of every radio's memory so you can restore it later without re-programming from scratch.
- Cross-platform format exchange — share configurations with club members on Windows or Linux without losing any data.
For anyone managing a go-bag of radios for ARES/RACES, emergency comms, or a local club, CHIRP is the difference between a coherent channel plan and chaos.
Is CHIRP free?
Yes — CHIRP is completely free to download and use, with no paid tier, no nag screens, and no feature gating. It is released under the GNU General Public License, which means the source code is also freely available. Development is sustained by a volunteer community, and the project has been actively maintained for well over a decade.
Who should use CHIRP?
CHIRP is best suited to licensed amateur radio operators — Technician class and above — who own at least one programmable radio and have outgrown the radio's built-in keypad workflow. It's particularly valuable for:
- New hams who just bought a budget HT and need to load their local repeater plan without reading a 40-page manual.
- Emergency communications volunteers who need identical channel plans across a team's worth of radios, fast.
- Radio club coordinators maintaining a shared channel template that members can download and write themselves.
- Hobbyists who own multiple radios from different manufacturers and want one tool to rule them all.
It is not the right tool if you're looking to program commercial Land Mobile Radio (LMR) gear — that world has its own specialized software. And if your radio isn't in CHIRP's supported list, you'll need to verify compatibility before buying a programming cable.
What are the best CHIRP alternatives?
CHIRP's closest Mac-compatible alternative is RT Systems software, which offers polished, radio-specific apps with excellent UI — but each one costs money and covers only a handful of models. For Yaesu owners, Yaesu's own ADMS suite is Windows-only, making CHIRP the de facto choice on macOS. CS-series software from Icom is similarly Windows-centric. If you only own a single, well-supported radio and want the most refined editing experience money can buy, RT Systems is worth a look. For everyone else — especially multi-radio households and Linux/Mac users — CHIRP wins on compatibility and price alone.
How does CHIRP compare to RT Systems software?
RT Systems produces per-radio apps that feel more polished and include features like automatic frequency validation specific to each model. However, a license runs around $30–$50 per radio model, there's no cross-manufacturer tool, and Mac support lags behind Windows. CHIRP covers hundreds of radios under one roof, runs natively on macOS (including Apple Silicon via Rosetta or native builds from the daily snapshot), and costs nothing. The trade-off is a less curated UI and occasional edge cases where a specific radio variant isn't fully supported. For mixed fleets or budget-conscious operators, CHIRP is the pragmatic choice.
