Hearing Aids

The Ultimate Guide: Types, Features, Prices, Reviews, and More

If you have trouble understanding conversations in restaurants or in other noisy settings, or if you need to turn up the TV louder than those around you, you're not alone. Around one out of every seven adults in the United States reports some difficulty hearing. While hearing aids are not a cure for hearing loss, they do provide enough assistance to get most people back to work, and back to communicating effectively with their loved ones.

Best hearing aids with brand logos

Popular hearing aid models from the world's top hearing aid brands.

In addition to helping you hear better, modern hearing aids offer everything from wireless audio streaming to fall detection, heart rate monitoring, and artificial intelligence.

If you’re not sure whether hearing aids are for you, the first step is always a hearing test and discussion with a hearing healthcare professional. If you are concerned about the cost of a hearing test, please check our listings for a clinics that offer free hearing screenings. Alternatively, you can check your hearing from the comfort of home by using one of the internet's many free online hearing tests.

What are hearing aids?

Hearing aids are small electronic devices that are worn on the ear, or in the ear, to help make sounds audible for those affected by hearing loss. While some people wear hearing aids to hear environmental sounds better, the primary goal of most hearing aid fittings is to improve communication with friends, family, and coworkers.

Modern digital hearing aids not only amplify sound, but also dampen unwanted noise. Through the magic of sound processing, they can make it easier to hear people's voices while reducing sound in noisy environments that often make it difficult to understand what others are saying.

How do hearing aids work?

Hearing aids collect sound using a microphone, amplify and process the collected sound using advanced digital signal processing technologies, and then provide amplified and processed sound to the hearing aid wearer through a tiny speaker. At the most basic level, hearing aids are made up of four primary parts:

  1. The microphone - The microphone picks up acoustic sounds from the environment and converts those sounds into an electronic signal. The electronic signal from the microphone is sent to the hearing aid sound processor.
  2. The sound processor and amplifier - The sound processor takes the electronic signal from the microphone and converts it to a digital format. Digitally-represented sound is enhanced and amplified by the hearing aid processor, and converted back to an electronic signal before being sent to the speaker.
  3. The speaker - Sometimes referred to as the “receiver,” the speaker is the part that creates the sound waves that enter your ear and vibrate your eardrum.
  4. The battery - A power source of some kind is required to enable the functionality of the microphone, sound processor, and speaker.

These four parts represent the absolute bare minimum in terms of the parts needed to constitute a functional digital hearing aid. Hearing aids typically have many additional hardware features, such as telecoils, wireless radios, and manual controls. Skip ahead to our hearing aid features section to learn more.

Note: Analog hearing aids are no longer manufactured by any major manufacturer. The description above, and all information that follows specifically addresses digital hearing aids.

Hearing aid prices

One of the biggest complaints consumers have about hearing aids is the high cost. And it's true that a pair of premium hearing aids can set you back anywhere from $4,000 to 6,000. But over the past few years, more and more high-performance hearing aid models have become available at much lower price points.

A recent Hearing Tracker survey of over 2,000 consumers found that the average price of a single hearing aid is $2,372. Most of the consumers surveyed bought high-end hearing aid technology from popular brands like Phonak, Widex, Signia, Oticon, ReSound, and Starkey.

To save money, some consumers shopped for hearing aids at Costco, purchased lower-end models, or turned to direct-to-consumer online channels. If you're on a budget, be sure to learn about the new class of FDA-approved over-the-counter hearing aids, now widely available online and in well known retailers like Best Buy.

Don’t want to sacrifice on service quality or technology level? Check our Hearing Tracker’s Local Hearing Aid Discounts platform to find great deals from local hearing aid practices, many of which offer gold-standard services like Real Ear Measurements (REMs).

Which hearing aid brands are the best?

This is a very difficult question as there is currently no objective way to assess the quality of one hearing aid over another. However, many audiologists accept that the quality of hearing aids coming from the “Big Five” hearing aid manufacturers is high standard, and that you generally can’t go wrong by sticking with the industry’s top brands.

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Understanding the brands

Did you know that Unitron, Phonak, and Lyric are all manufactured by Sonova? Did you know that all Miracle Ear hearing aids are manufactured by WS Audiology, the same company that manufactures all Widex and Signia hearing aids? To help shed a little light on the interrelatedness of hearing aid brands, retail brands, and hearing aid manufacturers we’ve created the Hearing Aid Industry Map (below). Keep reading to learn more about the main hearing aid manufacturers and the products they are best known for.

Hearing Aid Brand Map

Click on the image above for a larger version of the map.

How did we make this infographic? We used information available on the web, including investor reports, but also received a number of tips from industry insiders. Please let us know if you see any inaccuracies and feel free to use the commenting system at the bottom of this page to suggest corrections and updates!

DisclaimerThe brand map depicted in the image above reflect our best educated guesses as to associations between companies, brands, etc. Linkages do not always indicate full ownership of brand x by company y. Any corrections may be suggested using the inline commenting system or by contacting info@hearingtracker.com.

The “Big Five” hearing aid brands

Five companies currently command more than 80% of the global market for hearing aids. So who are the so-called “Big Five” hearing aid companies, what makes them so special, and what products do they produce?

Oticon Logo

Oticon Hearing Aids

Kongebakken, Denmark
3.5 stars stars

452 reviews

Oticon is the flagship brand of Demant A/S of Denmark, the world's second largest hearing aid manufacturer. Founded in 1904 by Hans Demant, whose wife had hearing loss, Oticon has a long history of producing innovative hearing aid technology. In 2016, with the introduction of its first Made-for-iPhone hearing aids—Oticon Opn—the company delivered what it called the first wireless "internet-connected hearing aids" along with advances … read more.

Popular models
Oticon Xceed BTE SP
Oticon Xceed
$2,547 - $3,524
Oticon More miniRITE-R
Oticon More
$3,095 - $3,689
Oticon Real miniRITE-R
Oticon Real
$2,900 - $3,897
Phonak Logo

Phonak Hearing Aids

Stäfa, Switzerland
4 stars stars

480 reviews

Phonak is the world’s largest hearing aid brand. Founded in 1947 in Zurich, Phonak quickly emerged as a leading developer of early electronic hearing aids. In 1985, after acquiring multiple additional hearing aid brands, it took on the name Phonak Holding AG and subsequently moved its headquarters to Stäfa, Switzerland. In 2007, the holding company renamed itself … read more.

Popular models
Phonak Lyric 4
Phonak Lyric 4
No price data
Phonak Virto Paradise Titanium
Phonak Virto Paradise
$3,252 - $3,953
Phonak Audéo Lumity R
Phonak Audéo Lumity
$2,452 - $3,830
ReSound Logo

ReSound Hearing Aids

Ballerup, Denmark
4 stars stars

231 reviews

ReSound is the flagship brand of GN Hearing, the world's fourth largest manufacturer of premium hearing aids. GN Group currently has more than 5,500 employees and sells its hearing aids through a global network of hearing professionals in more than 100 countries worldwide … read more.

Popular models
ReSound One RT61-DRWC
ReSound One
$2,849 - $3,592
ReSound Omnia RU61-DRWC
ReSound OMNIA
$2,951 - $3,721
Starkey Logo

Starkey Hearing Aids

Eden Prairie, Minnesota
3.5 stars stars

175 reviews

Starkey hearing aids are the flagship brand of Starkey Hearing Technologies, one of the world's top hearing aid manufacturers. Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Starkey is the only US company among the "Big Five," a group of companies that collectively control more than 80 percent of the global market for hearing aids … read more.

Popular models
Starkey Livio RIC R
Starkey Livio
$2,009 - $4,374
Starkey Evolv AI RIC R
Starkey Evolv AI
$2,179 - $3,812
Widex Logo

Widex Hearing Aids

Lynge, Denmark
4 stars stars

161 reviews

Widex is one of the world’s most popular hearing aid brands. Known for its advanced hearing aid technology, Widex was founded more than 60 years ago in Denmark by the Tøpholm and Westermann families. Widex brand hearing aids specialize in innovative ways to deliver the best possible sound quality and performance in real-life situations, like noise … read more

Popular models
Widex EVOKE Fusion 2
Widex EVOKE
$1,880 - $3,436
Widex MOMENT SHEER™
Widex MOMENT
$1,945 - $3,608
Signia Logo

Signia Hearing Aids

Singapore
4 stars stars

111 reviews

Signia is one of the largest hearing aid brands in the world. Signia hearing aids are manufactured by WS Audiology, the same parent company that manufactures Widex, Rexton, and Miracle Ear hearing aids. Prior to being purchased by Sivantos in 2015, and merged into WS Audiology in 2019, Signia hearing aids were manufactured under the Siemens brand name … read more.

Popular models
Signia Silk X
Signia Silk X
$1,526 - $3,157
Signia Pure AX Charge&Go T AX
Signia Pure AX
$2,427 - $3,663

Hearing aid types

Modern “air-conduction” hearing aids are available to wear either behind the ear or in the ear. Behind-the-ear models are available as either traditional behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, or as receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids. In-the-ear models are available as in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), completely-in-canal (CIC), and invisible-in-canal (IIC).

Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids

In BTE hearing aids, all the electronic components—including the speaker—are contained within the body of the hearing aid, which is worn behind the ear. Sound from the speaker is sent down to the ear canal via a hollow tube, which protects the speaker from moisture and earwax within the ear canal.

Here’s an example of a BTE hearing aid with no tubing attached:

Phonak Audéo Lumity

3.5 stars stars
7 reviews

Listed prices are for a pair of hearing aids in US dollars unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and may vary by region.

Busy Café
With device
Quiet Office
With device

Below is a BTE hearing aid with standard-width tubing and a custom-fitted earmold. The translucent earpiece is typically manufactured based on a silicone-putty “earmold”. 3D scanning tools may also be used to produce an virtual earmold.

Earmold

Most modern BTE hearing aids may be fit with either a thin or slightly larger standard tube. They may also use a custom earmold or smaller and lighter standard "dome," an earpiece that fits within the ear canal. When hearing loss is not too severe and limited to higher pitches, BTE hearing aids are typically fitted with thin tubing and a standard canal dome. This leaves the ear canal more open with free air flow, yielding greater comfort.

For more severe hearing losses, or when the lower pitches are affected, a custom earmold is typically used. Custom molds help to seal the ear canal to prevent feedback. Sealing the ear canal enables the hearing aid to deliver louder sound but unfortunately leads to reduced comfort.

If your hearing loss is changing rapidly, a BTE hearing aid is a good option, as you can be fit with a thin tube and canal dome today. You can always update to a custom mold later if necessary, without needing to purchase a new device.

Advantages of BTE hearing aids:

Less susceptible to damage from moisture and earwax
Can fit mild-to-profound hearing losses
Can be fit with non-custom domes or custom earmolds
Flexibility for worsening hearing loss

Disadvantages of BTE hearing aids:

Larger models may cause discomfort behind the ear, and may be difficult for those who wear glasses.
Custom earmolds that seal the ear canal may make the ear feel more plugged-up.
For people worried about stigma associated with hearing aids, larger models—especially when worn with custom ear molds—are easily visible.

Receiver-in-canal (RIC)

RIC hearing aids are very similar to BTE hearing aids. In both cases, the hearing aid is worn on the ear, and in both cases most of the electronic components are in the body of the hearing aid. The major difference is that, in RIC hearing aids, the speaker rests in the ear canal, rather than being contained within the body of the hearing aid. The speaker, or "receiver," is connected to the body by a thin wire.

Here’s an example of a popular over-the-counter RIC hearing aid offered by Lexie Hearing:

Lexie Powered by Bose

3.5 stars stars
3 reviews

Listed prices are for a pair of hearing aids in US dollars unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and may vary by region.

Busy Café
With device
Quiet Office
With device

Advantages of RIC hearing aids

Smaller and less noticeable than BTE hearing aids
Less feedback with less "occlusion" (blockage of the ear)
More open airflow is more comfortable, delivering a more natural sound

Disadvantages of RIC hearing aids

Less effective for moderate-to-severe hearing loss
Sometimes more expensive
Moisture in the ear canal can damage the receiver and necessitate repairs

In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids

ITE hearing aids are custom hearing aids that fit completely inside your outer ear. They have a hard plastic case that holds the electronics. They are versatile with a broad range from mild to severe hearing loss, but they can be more conspicuous and bulky than smaller models.

In the canal (ITC) hearing aids

An ITC hearing aid fits into the ear canal opening. It is barely noticeable while providing enough power for many forms of moderate-to-severe hearing loss. But because of its small size, feedback can be a problem.

Completely in the canal (CIC) hearing aids

CIC hearing aids sit more deeply in the ear canal and are almost invisible. They are best for mild-to-moderate hearing loss and are popular with consumers concerned about appearance and stigma. Because of their small size they often lack features in larger models, such as directional microphones and wireless streaming, and some consumers find it difficult to change their small batteries.

Invisible in the canal (IIC) hearing aids

IIC's are virtually invisible, sitting close to the ear drum. A thin plastic filament extends from the body of the hearing aid to retrieve it from the ear canal. Most often prescribed for mild-to-moderate hearing loss, their appeal is mainly cosmetic.

Hearing aid features

Modern hearing aids are marvels of technological miniaturization and sound processing power. Advances in sound processing and directional microphones have made it far easier for hearing-aid users to understand speech in noisy environments such as restaurants. And ongoing miniaturization has ushered in a new era of invisible hearing aids for the many consumers who still worry about stigma associated with using hearing assistance.

In the past several years, manufacturers have also integrated connectivity features that make hearing aids as functional as the wildly popular high-fi earbuds and headsets used for music streaming and phone calls. You can even think of "Made-for-iPhone" and "Made-for-Android" hearing aids as wireless smartphone accessories first, and hearing aids second. And new apps enabling you to use your smartphone to control the volume program choices and other settings also make it easier than ever to use your hearing aids successfully.

Rechargeable batteries are also delivering next-generation value and utility to hearing-aid wearers. First introduced in 2016, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that deliver a full day of use on a single overnight charge—even when using power-hungry audio streaming applications—are now available from most manufacturers.

Manufacturers are also offering optional tinnitus relief features. Automatic generation of soothing sounds relieves the annoyance and prevalence of ringing, humming, buzzing and other unwanted noises in the head from tinnitus.

Finally, the major hearing aid companies are also busy developing sensor technologies that will pick up health data from the linings of the ear canal to provide accurate health and fitness information. In fact, market researchers are predicting that sales of "hearables" and hearing aids with integrated sensors will overtake unit sales of smart watches within two or three years.

Bluetooth hearing aids and wireless connectivity

In the near future, a hearing aid most likely won’t be considered a true full-function hearing aid if it fails to connect easily and seamlessly with the outside world through a variety of wireless options. Most manufacturers offer “Made-for-iPhone” hearing aids that enable wireless streaming of audio and phone calls from the iPhone. And others are starting to offer ASHA (Android wireless protocol) hearing aids that provide the same capabilities (minus hands-free calling) with Android phones, which account for more than 80 percent of smartphones sold worldwide.

Phonak, the largest hearing aid manufacturer, has introduced universal Bluetooth compatibility with new hearing aids that allow you to make and receive wireless calls with any Bluetooth-enabled phone. They also pair with the millions of other Bluetooth-enabled electronic devices available today.

At the same time, makers of premium hearing aids have also long offered proprietary wireless accessories, including devices that stream audio from the TV and from MP3 players, and clip-on or table-top microphones that provide transmission of clear audio to hearing aids. These propriety solutions utilize 2.4 GHz transmission technologies and often require an intermediary streamer to transmit audio signals to the hearing aids. But they also provide high-quality sound, which can be a big help to people with severe hearing loss.

Hearing aids for single-sided deafness

If you have little to no usable hearing on one ear and usable hearing on the other, you may be a candidate for a CROS hearing aid. A CROS hearing aid sends sound from your "bad" ear to your "good" ear using wireless audio streaming. If you have some hearing loss in the good ear, you'll need a BiCROS setup, which works like a CROS, but adds amplification to the good ear to accommodate for hearing loss on that side.

Comparing hearing aids

Hearing Tracker has the world’s most comprehensive independent database of hearing-aid products. Which means we also offer the world’s best hearing aid comparison tool. Our tool allows you to compare the hardware features, software features, and accessories between hundreds of modern hearing aid models. And in 2023, we added the ability to listen to sound samples measured in the HearAdvisor hearing aid performance lab.

Need help understanding the options?

Hearing Tracker’s Help Me Choose tool helps to match you with hearing aids that are likely to help by taking into consideration your hearing loss, listening needs, and accessory preferences. Our tool attempts to find the best possible match across hundreds of matching parameters.

Remember, the hearing aid comparisons and product recommendations provided by Hearing Tracker are just a starting point. To understand whether you are truly a good candidate for any hearing aid model, please consult with a local hearing care professional. There is nothing better than a product recommendation from an expert.

Consumer preferences

Over the past two years, we’ve heard from 15,000 hearing aid consumers through our Help Me Choose tool. In order to provide custom-tailored hearing aid suggestions, we ask each person who uses the tool to answer a few questions about their hearing aid preferences. Unsurprisingly, most people who use the tool express a strong preference for better hearing (in noise and in quiet), device reliability, and physical comfort.

Top consumer preferences in 2022:

  1. Better hearing in noise
  2. Device reliability
  3. Better hearing in quiet
  4. Physical comfort of the device

Least important in 2022:

  1. Smartwatch control
  2. Landline phone streaming
  3. Remote microphone availability
  4. Hearing loop access

Note: Remote microphones and hearing loops are incredibly powerful technologies that can make a huge difference for those who struggle to hearing in background noise (remote microphones) or in large auditoriums (hearing loops).

Learn more about the academic work that our Help Me Choose tool has supported.

Hearing aid reviews

Not long ago, it was nearly impossible to find comprehensive, independent reviews of hearing aids. Now, a quick Google search will offer dozens of reviews. But it's still important to find a trusted source. It's also important to know what questions to ask, and what features and performance to look for given your unique hearing-loss profile.

Unlike reviews for most other consumer electronic products, individual factors such as degree of hearing loss and the individual's speech-recognition ability can have a profound effect on one's success and overall satisfaction with hearing aids. Given the often-extreme differences between individuals' hearing-loss profiles, reviewers’ satisfaction often varies for the same exact hearing aids. So it's important to find out as much as you can about the hearing-loss levels of consumers who write hearing-aid reviews.

At the same time, hearing aids are manufactured with varying levels of quality; some hearing aids are extremely durable, while others suffer frequent breakage. Battery life also varies between models, and manufacturer predictions of battery life are often optimistic. So when reading through hearing aid reviews and looking at product ratings, it's worth focusing on several product factors, including:

  • Manufacturing quality, durability, and water resistance
  • Battery life and battery size
  • Wireless connectivity options and consistency of connections
  • Accessory availability and manual controls

Need more help? Check out our guide to the world’s best hearing aids.

All hearing aids

Our hearing aid database has grown a lot over the years. In general most hearing aid manufactures release one flagship hearing aid technology platform, and one or more product families, per year.

Phonak Logo 2023: Phonak Naída Lumity
2022: Phonak Audéo Lumity, Phonak Virto Paradise
2021: Phonak Naída Paradise
2020: Phonak Audéo Paradise, Phonak Naída M, Phonak Virto M, Phonak Brio 4
2019: Phonak Bolero M
2018: Phonak Audéo Marvel, Phonak Naída B
2017: Phonak Bolero B, Phonak Virto B
2016: Phonak Audéo B
2015: Phonak Bolero V
2014: Phonak Lyric 4, Phonak Lyric 3, Phonak Audéo V
2013: Phonak Naída Q
2012: Phonak Dalia, Phonak Virto Q, Phonak Audéo Q, Phonak Bolero Q
2009: Phonak Milo
Widex Logo 2020: Widex MOMENT
2018: Widex EVOKE
2016: Widex BEYOND
2015: Widex UNIQUE
2013: Widex DREAM
2012: Widex CLEAR, Widex SUPER
2009: Widex Mind
2008: Widex Passion
Signia Logo 2023: Signia Silk Charge&Go IX, Signia Pure Charge&Go IX
2022: Signia Styletto AX
2021: Signia Insio Charge&Go AX, Signia Motion X, Signia Pure AX, Signia Active
2020: Signia Silk X, Signia Styletto X
2019: Signia Pure X, Signia Styletto Connect
2018: Signia Silk Nx, Signia Styletto
2017: Signia Motion Nx, Signia Pure Nx
2016: Signia Silk primax, Signia Cellion primax, Signia Pure primax
Oticon Logo 2024: Oticon Intent
2023: Oticon Real
2022: Oticon Own, Oticon Zircon
2020: Oticon More, Oticon Ruby
2019: Oticon Xceed, Oticon Opn S
2018: Oticon Siya
2016: Oticon Opn
2015: Oticon Ria2, Oticon Nera2, Oticon Alta2
2013: Oticon Nera, Oticon Alta
2011: Oticon Intiga, Oticon Ino
2010: Oticon Chili, Oticon Acto, Oticon Agil
2008: Oticon Dual Mini
ReSound Logo 2023: ReSound Nexia
2022: ReSound Custom Made by ReSound, ReSound OMNIA
2021: ReSound Key
2020: ReSound One
2019: ReSound Enzo Q
2018: ReSound LiNX Quattro
2017: ReSound LiNX 3D
2016: ReSound ENZO2
2015: ReSound LiNX2
2014: ReSound ENZO
2013: ReSound LiNX
2012: ReSound Vea, ReSound Verso
2010: ReSound Alera
2008: ReSound Sparx
Starkey Logo 2023: Starkey Genesis AI
2021: Starkey Evolv AI
2018: Starkey Livio
2017: Starkey Halo iQ
2016: Starkey SoundLens Synergy, Starkey Muse, Starkey Halo 2
2015: Starkey Z Series
2014: Starkey Halo
2013: Starkey 3 Series
2011: Starkey Xino
Kirkland Signature (Costco) Logo
Kirkland Signature (Costco)
2021: Kirkland Signature (Costco) 10.0
2019: Kirkland Signature (Costco) 9.0
2018: Kirkland Signature (Costco) 8.0
2016: Kirkland Signature (Costco) 7.0
Philips Logo
Philips
2023: Philips HearLink
2019: Philips HearLink 9030
Unitron Logo 2023: Unitron Moxi Vivante
2021: Unitron Moxi Blu
2019: Unitron Discover
2017: Unitron Tempus
2015: Unitron N Moxi, Unitron Stride
2013: Unitron Moxi Kiss
2012: Unitron Max 20, Unitron Quantum 6, Unitron Quantum E, Unitron Quantum Pro
2011: Unitron Moxi

Hearing aids near me

Finding a great hearing aid provider doesn’t have to be difficult. Check out our interactive hearing aid clinic map and use the brand and service filters to find exactly what you’re looking for. Or, navigate our traditional directory. Please let us know if we can help you find something!