The Best Affordable Hearing Aids We Tested in 2026

This article explores the more-affordable hearing aid options offered by both the traditional medical-model manufacturers and the alternative products currently available.

Note that for the OTC hearing aids, we provide you with the “official price” of the devices at this writing, but most are perpetually “on sale,” and shopping around online can often get you a better bargain. You should also be aware that we’ve calculated prescriptive hearing aids based on value (performance vs. price) in a separate article.

Most Affordable: Elehear Beyond Pro

At $649, Elehear Beyond Pro is the most affordable hearing aid with the best lab scores on this list. It performs impressively well in quiet environments (4.3/5), on par with the best prescription hearing aids. It also delivers exceptional performance in background noise (3.6/5), coming out ahead of all prescription aids tested in the HearAdvisor lab so far, making it the best OTC hearing aid currently available.

The Beyond Pro features audio streaming and hands-free calling via Bluetooth with both iOS and Android devices. It offers an extended frequency range of up to 8,500 Hz, with 24 kHz studio-grade sound fidelity and a new music mode designed to preserve the richness of vocals and the sharpness of high-frequency instruments. The Beyond Pro’s battery will last you for up to 24 hours per charge and a full charge takes as little as 1.5 hours.

Unlike many other OTC hearing aids, Elehear offers free remote care for both the Beyond Pro and the Beyond. Elehear’s licensed audiologists can also program the Beyond Pro using the results of a professional hearing test. However, remote care is only available from Monday through Friday.

Note that both the Beyond and Beyond Pro have an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IPX5, meaning their dust resistance is unknown and they are protected against water jets from any angle—but they are not waterproof. If you need hearing aids that are more resistant to water, the Rexton Reach, Jabra Enhance Select 700, or the Audicus Omni 2 are a better choice as they all carry an IP68 rating.

Most Affordable Prescription Option: Rexton Reach

At $1,600 per pair, the Rexton Reach R-Li T is one of the most affordable prescription (Rx) hearing aids. It made our list not only because it’s an affordable hearing aid, but also because it punches above its weight when it comes to performance and features.

In the HearAdvisor lab, the Rexton Reach R-Li T achieved a SoundGrade of A, placing it in the top 15% of all tested devices. Rexton's technology can focus on multiple voices and selectively amplify their volume above background noise, even as speakers move around. Compared to premium hearing aids, most affordable devices drop off a cliff when it comes to amplifying speech in noise, but the Rexton Reach is close to the top, with a 2.4/5 professionally-tuned score, outperforming many higher-priced competitors like ReSound Nexia.

The rechargeable receiver-in-canal Rexton Reach hearing aid has a battery life of up to 39 hours per charge, supports Bluetooth LE with wireless audio streaming and hands-free calling from compatible iOS and Android devices, it's Auracast-ready and features a Telecoil.

You can find Rexton Reach hearing aids, including the R-Li T model, at Costco, Hear.com, and in independent practices of the HearUSA / HearCANADA, and Helix networks.

Best Support: Jabra Enhance Select 300

The Jabra Enhance Select 300 is a receiver-in-canal OTC hearing aid built on the same platform as the ReSound OMNIA, a well-regarded prescription product line from GN Hearing. That lineage shows up in the lab: HearAdvisor gave it a SoundScore of 4.3 out of 5 and a SoundGrade of A. Speech in quiet is a clear strength, scoring 4.0 out of 5, above the OTC category average and competitive with prescription alternatives. Speech in noise is above the OTC average as well, though it remains a harder problem for any self-fit device without real-ear measurements.

What makes the Select 300 stand out on an affordability list is what comes with it. At $1,695, the price includes three years of telehealth audiology care: custom programming based on your audiogram, ongoing remote adjustments, video appointments, and 7-day-a-week access to Jabra's audiology team. That level of professional involvement is unusual for an OTC device and meaningfully closes the gap between self-fit and clinic-fit outcomes. The app is well-designed, mirroring the ReSound Smart 3D interface, and gives you direct control over volume, four listening programs, a noise filter, and a three-band equalizer.

Build quality is another area where the Select 300 earns its price. The IP68 rating puts it in the same durability class as prescription hearing aids, the rechargeable battery delivers 24 hours of use per charge, and the portable case holds three additional full charges. One limitation worth noting: Response times from Jabra's care team can be slow, with some users reporting waits of up to two weeks for app-based support requests. For buyers who are comfortable managing occasional delays and want meaningful professional oversight without setting foot in a clinic, the Select 300 is a well-supported option at the upper end of this list.

Best for iPhone Users: Apple AirPods Pro 3

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 offer surprising hearing benefits for what’s primarily a set of wireless earbuds. Equipped with everything you’d expect from quality earbuds, they also include an FDA-approved hearing aid mode via software.

Within Apple’s Health app, you can either take a built-in hearing test or enter the results from a third-party audiogram. Not only can the AirPods Pro 3 enhance streaming audio, they can also amplify external sounds and serve as hearing aids.

At just under $250 per pair, nothing else on this list comes close, and lab testing confirms they can genuinely help people with mild to moderate hearing loss. With one important caveat: Out of the box, they don’t perform particularly well as hearing aids. Tuning makes all the difference. With the volume increased and the brighter tone setting enabled, tuned speech-in-quiet scores jump from 0.9 to 3.5 out of 5, and speech in noise goes from 1.2 to 2.7, both well above the OTC category average.

Battery life tops out at 10 hours per charge in hearing aid mode, which makes them better suited to part-time or situational use than all-day wear. The IP57 rating offers reasonable water resistance but falls short of the IP68 standard found on most dedicated hearing aids. Fit can also be an issue — some users find the foam-infused ear tips uncomfortable during extended wear. And hearing aid settings are buried several menus deep inside iOS, with no dedicated app. Android users will need an iPhone to set up the hearing aid feature, and they won’t be able to adjust it from their phone. If you’re an iPhone user looking for the lowest possible entry point into better hearing, the AirPods Pro 3 are a legitimate option, just plan to spend time dialing in the settings.

For a lower cost option, consider the Apple AirPods Pro 2. They top out at 8 hours per charge in transparency mode, only offer IP54 dust and moisture protection, but offer similar hearing aid benefits as the AirPods Pro 3.

Best Preset Earbud: JLab HEAR OTC

Offered at less than $100, the JLab Hear is the least-expensive OTC hearing aid listed in this review. It works well in quiet and gives you at least some benefit in noise. This hearing aid / earbud hybrid scored well in HearAdvisor testing (SoundScore of 3.6 on a 5-point scale).

For its price, JLab Hear features impressive technology, including rechargeability, iPhone and Android audio and call streaming, and good sound quality. We want to be clear that it doesn't match the performance of a high-end prescription or OTC hearing aid, but hey, it's under $100, and in a pinch could at least serve as your backup or replacement hearing aid.

How We Picked the Most Affordable Hearing Aids

To pick the most affordable hearing aids, we set an affordability threshold at $2,000. Hearing aids within that price range had to meet performance targets for speech in quiet (3.5+) and speech in noise (1.5+) to be considered; the performance was measured in the HearAdvisor lab. We ranked matching models based on their HearingTracker Score, which incorporates hands-on qualitative testing, and selected the best model in each category, including best prescription, best support, and most affordable hearing aid.

How much do hearing aids cost in 2026?

We asked more than 1,100 consumers about their recent hearing aid purchase. We found that hearing aid costs have dropped dramatically since our last survey in 2018, with the average price falling 42% to $2,694 per pair. This shift is largely driven by affordable alternatives like over-the-counter (OTC) devices and Costco offerings. OTC hearing aids average just $502 per pair, with some budget options costing as little as $20, making them accessible to people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss who might otherwise go untreated. Costco has emerged as a value leader for prescription devices, offering advanced technology from major manufacturers like Philips, Jabra, Rexton, and Sennheiser at an average of $1,674 per pair.

These affordable options stand in stark contrast to traditional prescription hearing aids purchased through private clinics, which average $4,727 per pair without insurance. Premium brands like Phonak, Oticon, and Starkey typically range from $3,800 to $4,200 per pair at traditional providers. The price difference reflects Costco's volume purchasing power, lower overhead costs, and streamlined fitting process, while OTC devices eliminate professional services entirely to reduce costs.

However, price doesn't tell the whole story about outcomes. While traditional clinics and Costco show similar satisfaction rates (77-82%), budget OTC devices under $400 lag significantly, with only 48% of users satisfied. Higher-end OTC options with professional telehealth support, like Jabra Enhance models at around $1,700 per pair, perform much better, suggesting that both product quality and professional fitting support matter for successful outcomes, even in the affordable hearing aid market.

Why are hearing aids so expensive?

A standard medical-model hearing aid will set you back anywhere from several hundred dollars for a set of OTC devices to over $4,000 per ear for a top-of-the-line prescription hearing aid. Hearing aids are expensive because you're paying for multiple things:

1. The hardware
   Hearing care professionals order hearing aids through wholesale accounts and often pay $1,000-2,000 per device, depending on the technology level. Hearing aid manufacturers claim that the prices are this high due to the research and development that goes into creating the products.
2. Network costs
   Distribution, including honoring warranties and returns-for-credit, as well as helping to train professionals on the use of their products, add to the device costs that manufacturers pass down to hearing clinics.
3. Professional services
   Finally, you're paying for services, such as fitting your hearing aid and up to 5 years of free follow-up care. While most hearing aids come bundled with services, it is possible to find providers who will sell you follow-up services as an add-on when you purchase your hearing aids, and some others offer follow-up care on a pay-per-appointment basis.

Let’s not forget that modern hearing aids are more than just a battery-powered microphone with an amplifier. Recent advances in chip technology, artificial intelligence, and digital data processing have massively improved the sound quality these high-tech listening devices can achieve, especially for more severe hearing loss. On top of that, wireless technology, mobile apps, and new battery technology have taken convenience to the next level. Advanced features like this, as well as health options like tinnitus programs, further drive up the price.

Of course, hearing aid manufacturers benefit from progress in other fields. Still, considering their limited niche, their research and development cost per unit sold is enormous, compared to, for example, a set of consumer earbuds, where the market is so much larger. What’s more, with only a handful of manufacturers dominating the hearing aid market, it’s much less competitive than the markets for most consumer electronic devices.

Typical Pricing for Low- and High-Level Technology

Do some of the affordable options above seem too expensive for you? Here is an overview of what you can expect to pay for the flagship models offered by leading medical-model hearing aid brands. These numbers are based on data provided to HearingTracker by hearing care professionals across the country.

When buying hearing aids, you can almost cut your costs in half if you're willing to settle for a lower technology level. Below, we show more ways how you can cut your costs substantially. But, in exchange, you may have to compromise on technology, features, and services.

Another reason we’re so acutely aware of the price of hearing aids is that, unlike many other medical aids and services, they’re typically not covered by health insurance.

Best Options for Making Hearing Aids Affordable

Hearing aid prices aren’t regulated. While some hearing clinics may not be willing to slim down their margins, you may find better deals by shopping around. Ultimately, it comes down to finding the right care provider and product that meet your specific needs.

Check Your Insurance Coverage and Compare Prices

As noted above, while Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids, many private health insurances do. Third-party care providers like Epic and TruHearing work with insurance companies to provide hearing care benefits to their members. If your insurance is among them, you could get a large portion of the cost covered.

If your insurance covers hearing aids, be sure to ask whether they will accept out-of-network care providers. If they do, you could reach out to different hearing clinics to compare prices. Often, hearing care clinics can offer you a better deal than your insurance’s third-party care provider.

Buy a Lower-End or Basic Technology Model From a Local Provider

Depending on your type of hearing loss, you may not need the most advanced technology level—or want to pay for it! For most hearing losses, a well-fitted basic hearing aid will give you all (or most) of the benefits of better hearing while not breaking the bank. In fact, a study by the late-great audiologist-researcher Robyn Cox, PhD, showed that a quality economy-level hearing aid could attain very similar outcomes to a premium-level hearing aid—if it’s fit by a professional who knows what they’re doing and uses clinical best practices.

Ask your hearing care provider if you really need the additional features of more advanced and expensive models. For example, will you stream audio from your phone to your hearing aids, do you need a tinnitus program, or would a rechargeable device really make your life that much easier? If the answer is no, you might do fine with a simpler model.

Because most hearing care practices now have to compete with the likes of Costco and Sam’s Club (see below), it’s becoming fairly common for them to offer hearing aids for around $1,500 a pair—if you insist on their lowest-technology level aid (and if that hearing aid is suitable for your hearing needs).

Pay for Services as You Go

Another way to reduce the upfront cost is to purchase hearing aids independently of additional services. Here’s a little-known fact about hearing healthcare (and much of healthcare in general): if you have a relatively simple problem that requires only a couple of office visits, you’ll still pay about the same as a person with a complex problem who requires double the number of visits. We can debate the merits or fairness of this, but in most hearing care practices, you’ll pay the same as everyone else for services—no matter how many appointments you require.

Recognizing this, it’s becoming increasingly common for clinics to unbundle their prices, so you can purchase a hearing aid and pay separately for the services—such as a hearing test, real-ear measurement, device programming, orientation, replacement parts, and maintenance—as you go.

Depending on your situation, this may or may not save you money in the long run, but it could help reduce the initial purchase price. Some practices even offer different service packages based on hearing loss and needs. Moreover, if you’re not happy with the service you’re receiving or have to relocate, you’ll be able to switch providers more easily.

Alternatively, if unbundling is not an option, you could inquire how to finance your hearing aids. Just be careful to review the payment terms to ensure interest payments don’t balloon the overall cost excessively, and also make sure to pay off the hearing aids by the agreed-upon date(s) so you don’t incur extra interest charges.

Weigh the Merits of a Subscription Hearing Aid Plan

If you want to take the sting out of the initial hearing aid payment, you can also look into subscription hearing aids like Lyric and Audicus. With these devices, rather than buying them outright, you can pay a monthly fee that covers your aids and additional benefits, including maintenance, support, accessories, loss and damage protection, software updates, and regular hardware upgrades. Since you’re essentially leasing the aids, you can cancel your contract anytime, though restrictions and penalties may apply. Generally, the support for these aids consists of only online assistance, but some companies offer in-person office visits, too. Check out our article “Pros and Cons of Subscription Hearing Aid and Financing Plans” for details, as well as some of the OTC aids below.

Veterans Affairs (VA) Hearing

Aid Care

If you’re eligible for VA healthcare, you might also qualify for its hearing aid care. Members can schedule an appointment to have their hearing evaluated. If the audiologist recommends a hearing aid, the VA will cover the hearing aid and all associated costs.

Unfortunately, not everyone with hearing loss automatically qualifies for coverage under the VA. The VHA Directive 1034, which governs the prescription and provision of hearing aids to veterans, refers to 38 CFR 17.149 in regard to which veterans are eligible for hearing aids.

To get VA healthcare, veterans first need to apply for eligibility. This is typically done by applying for disability starting with the VA’s Form 10-10EZ. If the veteran is registered with the VA and receives healthcare services, they can make an appointment directly with a VA audiologist to determine their hearing status and the need for a hearing aid. For more information about obtaining a hearing aid from the VA, visit the VA Rehab and Prosthetics page.

Look Into Reputable Online Hearing Aid Retailers

There are a few trusted online retailers, like ZipHearing and Yes Hearing, that work with local clinics to offer fixed price hearing aid + service bundles. We know that ZipHearing works directly with reputable hearing aid manufacturers, which is important because some retailers sell “grey market” products that have dubious product warranties. The company also has a good reputation with the audiology community. Note: HearingTracker partners with ZipHearing and other national providers to offer discounted hearing aid prices to its visitors.

Consider Purchasing at Costco or Sam’s Club

Both Costco hearing aids and Sam’s Club hearing aids are dispensed by state-licensed hearing care professionals at a great price point. Here’s how these companies can sell hearing aids at such low prices:

1. Being mass wholesale clubs, they enjoy huge volume discounts on their devices. Costco is one of the largest distributors of hearing aids in the United States and buys hearing aids in bulk, which brings down the price significantly; Sam’s Club Hearing Aids are staffed and run by Lucid Hearing and has its own hearing aid brand.
2. Both employ a shop-in-shop model, which minimizes overhead substantially vs. traditional brick-and-mortar offices/clinics.
3. Both usually employ state-licensed hearing aid specialists, which are generally paid less (on average) than audiologists.

Costco and Sam’s Club hearing aids can be a great deal if the hearing aid center you visit is staffed with a skilled provider who adheres to best practices and isn’t over-taxed in terms of having available time to spend with existing clients. Given the latter, these stores may not be the best for people with more severe or complex hearing losses who require more professional time, counseling, accessories, etc.

At Costco, you can get brand-name hearing aids from Jabra, Philips, and Rexton. Costco even mandates the use of real-ear measurements at all of its hearing centers. Additionally, because they sell hearing aids from global hearing aid manufacturers, you can get these aids reprogrammed and serviced at most hearing aid clinics (i.e., unlike Sam’s Club, they are not “locked” so other providers can adjust them). Costco’s standard 3-year warranty covers repairs and replacements, as needed. During a 2-year loss-and-damage warranty period, you can even get one hearing aid per year replaced, free of cost.

Sam’s Club’s Lucid Hearing Aids offer good sound quality and a range of options in terms of Bluetooth, rechargeability, extended warranty/care packages up to 3 years, with prices ranging from about $1,299-$5,000 per pair (although costs can vary depending on add-on features and services). We think Sam’s is also a good place if you’re torn between a prescription or OTC hearing aid. For example, Lucid Engage received an Expert Choice 2023 Award from the HearAdvisor test lab, and a Lucid-certified clinician will even program your OTC aid for $198—or you can trade it in for a prescription aid if you’re still in the 90-day trial period. However, Lucid hearing aids at Sam’s Club are "locked,” meaning you can’t get them reprogrammed by another professional outside the network.

Check Out the Better-Performing OTC Hearing Aids

Try searching for hearing aids on Amazon or your favorite search engine, and you’ll be flooded with options. To help you find the right OTC solution, we regularly update our selection of the best OTC hearing aids. You can also visit the HearAdvisor Leaderboard, select “OTC hearing aids” and view the ranking

Cheap hearing aid options NOT recommended: Don't get ripped off!

Not every affordable hearing device will meet OTC guidelines. Many unscrupulous brands offer cheap hearing aids that promise relief but don’t actually work. Some companies market these devices as “FDA-approved” OTC hearing aids but are not technically OTCs. Unfortunately, the FDA rarely takes action on these scofflaw companies.

Here are some tips to avoid getting scammed:

• Watch out for aggressive marketing, unrealistic promises, short trial periods, and false claims. Another frequent red warning light is the lack of an address, contact information, or direct customer service support. As we mentioned, all hearing aids can malfunction; if yours breaks, you'll need a company that stands behind its products and gives you a solution. The Brattleboro Hearing Center breaks down other common hearing aid scams.
• Don’t trust testimonials on the seller’s website. Instead, check the company’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and any customer reviews or complaints posted to its BBB listing.
• Read independent reviews. If you’re a member of Consumer Reports, review their hearing aid ratings.
• Use the HearingTracker search engine to look up the product and company. We provide expert reviews on the best (and some not-so-good) hearing aids, implants, and hearables. In many cases, you can find the products on our Comparison Page, which allows you to listen and compare individual products lab-tested by HearAdvisor in several different listening environments.
• Use our Hearing Loss Forum, an online community affiliated with HearingTracker, to search for firsthand experiences about the product(s) you're considering. Also consider becoming a member and helping others in your situation!
• Beware of fake online reviews. They can be hard to spot, but sometimes you’ll notice dead giveaways, like the exact same wording showing up in multiple reviews or comments posted in quick succession with only a few newer comments.
• Is it a new or generic brand? See whether you can find a white-label (unbranded) product version on sites like Alibaba or AliExpress, online marketplaces stocked by Chinese manufacturers. If you do, examine the price difference; that’s the scammer’s margin!

Ivory Hearing has debunked another cheap rechargeable hearing aid. Most online hearing aids follow a similar pattern: to promise the best hearing aids at an incredibly low price, supported by false claims and fake testimonials. Often, they also discredit hearing care professionals.