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For the purposes of this article, an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid is one you buy and fit yourself without seeing an audiologist or hearing health professional. These types of devices are often less expensive than professionally fitted hearing aids, and they can be great for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
According to the National Institutes of Health, only one in five Americans who have hearing loss wears a hearing aid. Still, research has shown that not wearing a hearing aid when you need one can increase the chance of depression, dementia, and falls.
In this guide, I’ll take a look at some of the best over-the-counter hearing aids that provide superior sound quality, affordability, and a comfortable design.
Pro Tip: If you don’t mind getting your aids professionally fitted in person, then I’d recommend checking out our list of the best hearing aids.
The More You Know: OTC hearing aids are generally suited to people with mild to moderate high-frequency hearing loss. If your hearing loss is greater than this, then take a look at our list of the best hearing aids for profound hearing loss.
Hearing aids are complicated and expensive devices, so we looked for the following characteristics in each company:
FYI: Trying to figure out which hearing aid is right for you? Check out our Hearing Aid Buying Guide.
Cost: $1,195 per pair; $39 per month with Lively financing
The Lively 2 Lite is one of our favorite OTC hearing aids due to its advanced technology, stellar customer support, and highly affordable price point. When you purchase a Lively 2 Lite, you’ll receive custom-fit hearing aids without having to visit an audiologist.
The Lively 2 Lite can reduce background noise and prioritize voices, making it easy to carry on conversations in any type of environment — no matter how noisy. With the Lively smartphone app, you can meet with the Lively audiology team remotely to make adjustments as necessary. With its Bluetooth capabilities, you can also take calls and listen to music with your Lively 2 Lite hearing aids.
Lively 2 Lite comes with one year’s supply of batteries and a three-year warranty.
Pro Tip: To learn more about Lively’s hearing aid models, read our Lively Hearing Aids review and guide to Lively Hearing aid costs.
Cost: $999.99 per pair; $83.33 per month with MDHearingAid financing
MDHearingAid offers a variety of affordable behind-the-ear hearing devices. Its most advanced model, the MDHearingAid Core, boasts premium features such as smartphone compatibility, audio customization, and noise management.
Powered by batteries, the MDHearingAid Core excels with smart features. By connecting to your smartphone with Bluetooth, the MDHearingAid Core can be remotely adjusted. Through its app, you can adjust noise reduction and the overall equalizer settings on your hearing aids, and the MDHearingAid Core will automatically sense noise levels in your environment and adjust accordingly.
The 45-day trial period is not as long as other hearing aid brands, but its low price point makes it a compelling buy. MDHearingAid also offers other models with rechargeable batteries.
Did You Know: To learn more about MDHearingAid and its other models, read our MDHearingAid review and guide to MDHearingAid costs.
Cost: $2,950 for a pair; $94 per month with Eargo financing
Eargo offers tiny, discreet hearing aids that fit comfortably inside the ear canal. In addition to their stellar audio quality, Eargo hearing aids come with a 45-day trial period, so you can try them before finalizing your purchase. What’s more, you can download Eargo’s free mobile app to tailor your hearing aids to your preferences.
Our favorite OTC model from Eargo, the Eargo 6, builds on the company’s successful formula with advanced audio technology. With the Sound Adjust feature, your Eargo 6 aids will automatically adapt to your environment, allowing you to move from noisy to quiet areas without manually adjusting your hearing aids. Eargo 6 hearing aids are also rated IPX7 for water resistance, so they’re great hearing aids for active lifestyles.
An Eargo 6 purchase comes with lifetime remote support from audiologists and hearing health professionals. If your hearing aids ever get damaged, they’ll be covered by Eargo’s two-year warranty.
For a more in-depth look at the Eargo 6, check out my full Eargo review. You can also learn more about the company’s other models in my rundown of Eargo hearing devices.
Did You Know: Hearing aids can be expensive, but there are affordable financing options and insurance providers that can pick up some (or all) of the cost. Read my article, Does Insurance Cover Hearing Aids?, to figure out whether your hearing aids may be covered.
Cost: $2,798 for a pair; $1,399 per ear; $89 per month with Audicus financing
OTC hearing aids vary in quality, but all five Audicus models feature crisp audio quality and an FDA seal of approval. The company’s hearing aids range from $499 to $1,399 per ear and can be purchased outright or as a subscription. Our favorite OTC model is the Audicus Spirit.
The only Bluetooth-compatible hearing aid from Audicus, the Spirit can be customized and controlled through the Audicus smartphone app. In addition to programming by an audiologist, the app allows you to make your own adjustments to sound and stream music and phone calls directly to your hearing aids.
The Audicus Spirit comes with a lifetime of customer support, allowing you to speak with Audicus hearing experts and make adjustments to your hearing aids. The devices also come with a one-year warranty and 45-day risk-free trial, during which you can return them for a full refund.
Did You Know: For more information, check out my review of Audicus. If you’d like to learn about its other models, then read our guide to Audicus hearing aid prices.
Cost: $2,900 for a pair; financing varies by person
Hear.com is a great resource for up-to-date information on hearing aids and hearing loss. With free consultations and a 45-day risk-free trial for select hearing aid providers, the website is a great destination for all things related to hearing loss and hearing aid care.
In addition to selling hearing aids from other manufacturers, Hear.com also offers its own model, the Horizon. Developed with Signia, it’s a discreet receiver-in-canal model with rechargeable batteries. Its Bluetooth capabilities and companion smartphone app allow you to make manual adjustments to your sound.
Our favorite facet of Hear.com is the way the company fits users for hearing aids. Rather than requiring you to visit an audiology clinic, Hear.com will send you a “clinic in a box” that includes everything you need to get fitted for hearing aids. The process includes a video call with an audiologist who handles the technical aspects of fitting. Hear.com then sends you your customized hearing aids, at which time you’ll also have access to lifetime support, allowing you to get professional adjustments to your devices if your hearing changes or worsens.
Did You Know: To learn more about the provider, read our Hear.com review. Hear.com offers a nebulous pricing plan, but we’ve pinned down the basics in our rundown of Hear.com prices.
One of the barriers to getting a high-quality hearing aid is the cost. Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams, but some common health insurance programs may be able to help. Hearing aids run anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 per device, so it’s easy to see how cost can be an issue even if a flexible payment plan is available.
OTC hearing aids are one possible way to get around the cost, but are they worth it? Let’s take a closer look at our hearing aid picks, and find out where to get them.
Getting a professional hearing aid offers a lot of benefits, but OTC hearing aids may also be a good option. Buying over the counter is a way to reduce the cost of hearing aids and streamline the purchasing process. I recommend buying OTC hearing aids from a reputable company such as those listed above, most of which offer some form of professional programming or support.
A quick search of Amazon will turn up lots of results for hearing aids. Most are relatively low-cost hearing amplifiers that run in the $200 to $400 range. You often get what you pay for in these situations, so we’d advise you to proceed with caution with these devices. You likely won’t get the support you get with Eargo, MDHearingAid, and other reputable companies, and you may not get the same warranties.
Many of these devices don’t have any “smart” programming, and they’ll simply amplify whatever sound is there. These fall into the category of “something is better than nothing,” but we recommend going with a reputable company that offers some level of support and warranties if possible. You’ll also be able to try the devices before you fully commit.
Buying OTC hearing aids can cut the cost and hassle of getting the hearing support you need. If you need hearing aids right away, then you can make an easy purchase after doing an online hearing test. Hearing aid providers such as Eargo and Audicus offer innovative, high-quality hearing aids at a lower cost than many other providers, and with quick and friendly customer service. Many leading hearing aid manufacturers offer some form of risk-free trial and BOGO incentives for additional hearing aids, so there’s little reason not to try one today.
On average, OTC hearing aids cost significantly less than prescription hearing aids. OTC hearing aids typically range from $300 to $2,950.
Yes, you can buy certain OTC hearing aids without a prescription or visit to an audiologist. These products fall under the category of a direct-to-consumer online purchase.
If you have hearing loss, then there probably isn’t a way to hear better without hearing aids. Hearing aids can help improve your quality of life and help you hear clearly.
No. Many hearing aid providers offer a free online hearing test to match you with the right hearing aids, but the FDA recommends seeing a doctor before purchasing hearing aids.
Most hearing loss is not reversible. There is some speculation that yoga; taking supplements and vitamins; or certain types of essential oils, such as cajeput essential oil, can help restore hearing naturally, but none of them are supported by current research. If you think you have treatable hearing loss, then you should consult your physician.
