Costco Hearing Aids in 2023 - Models, Features, Prices, and Reviews

Costco’s hearing aid centers have been one of the biggest success stories in the hearing aid industry over the past decade. According to a 2017 report from Bernstein Research, sales at Costco hearing centers have grown at approximately 20% per year since 2011, and Costco has now emerged as the nation's leading hearing aid retailer, making up an estimated 15% of the US retail market in 2022.

In addition to offering the convenience of buying your hearing aids and having them serviced at a store you visit frequently, Costco uses its volume buying and distribution clout to offer lower prices for hearing aids than many private hearing aid practices. But remember, you have to join as a regular Costco Wholesale warehouse club member to buy and get service from its hearing aid centers. Memberships start at $60 per year.

What’s Costco’s secret?

Costco's secret sauce is the combination of low, low prices for high-quality name-brand prescription hearing aids and consistently good service in its hearing centers. Costco stays ahead of the pack by performing sound verification on every hearing aid fitted (common at top-quality hearing clinics) and by offering competitive return policies and product warranties.

In addition to prescription hearing aids sold through its in-store clinics, Costco began selling over-the-counter (OTC) Lexie B2 Powered by Bose in April 2023. Priced at $980 and available online or in the store, the OTC hearing aids are less expensive but don't come with the professional support offered by the in-store Costco hearing centers.

If you’re holding back from getting help due to hearing aid sticker shock, read on to determine if Costco is right for you. Costco is a great option for many, but there are some people who are not as well-suited to the sales model.

Name-brand prescription hearing aids

Costco sells hearing aids manufactured by leading global hearing aid companies. It currently offers models from Rexton,  Philips, and Jabra, all top-name brands. Click on the links below to jump to summaries of the three brands later in the story.

• Jabra hearing aids — a new kind of natural sound.
• Philips hearing aids — a broad range of styles.
• Rexton hearing aids — design that's both stylish and rugged.

What about Costco's Kirkland house brand? Until recently, Costco sold the very popular Kirkland Signature KS10 hearing aid manufactured by Sonova, the world's largest hearing aid manufacturer. In a 2022 survey fielded by Consumer Reports, the KS10's were the top choice among Costco customers. But in October 2022, Sonova withdrew all its products from Costco, including its line of Phonak Brio hearing aids, so the Kirkland hearing aid brand is currently not for sale (see more details at the end of this story).

Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids

Costco's success selling prescription hearing aids staffed by hearing care professionals in its clinics led many to questioned if it would ever also offer off-the-shelf OTC hearing aids. In April 2023 Costco provided the answer when it began to stock its first OTC hearing aids, the Lexie B2 Powered by Bose.

The Lexie hearing aids are currently the only OTC hearing aids offered by Costco. Unlike the prescription hearing aids sold in its hearing centers, Costco does not offer in-store support for the OTC hearing aids. Customers instead depend on Lexie's do-it-yourself self-fitting app and online support from the manufacturer.

Lower prices may come with tradeoffs

Costco uses its volume buying and distribution clout to offer lower prices for hearing aids than most national chains and private hearing aid practices. It also has substantial advantages when it comes to not having to shoulder the same marketing and overhead costs as private practices or clinics—enabling Costco to discount hearing aids steeply. For example, Costco employs a shop-in-shop model, which minimizes overheads like rent vs. traditional brick-and-mortar clinics.

Apples-to-apples price comparisons can be difficult, but for many comparable quality hearing aids, you can easily save $1,000 or more buying from Costco instead of an independent provider. (In the Costco examples below, we've linked to pages that give average prices for comparable models sold by independent providers.)

At the same time, however, bear in mind that the lower prices come with some important tradeoffs:

• You have to join as a regular Costco Wholesale warehouse club member, starting at $60 per year, to buy and get service from its hearing aid centers.
• Costco doesn’t always carry the latest and greatest versions of name-brand hearing aids, because manufacturers usually provide them first to private audiology practices.
• While Costco generally gets decent grades for dependable service, it’s less likely you’ll have your hearing aids fitted by a doctor of audiology than by a state-licensed hearing aid dispenser with fewer years of schooling.
• Costco lists “starting-at” prices for the three brands of hearing aids it offers, it cautions that prices can vary by state.
• Prices also vary by the model you order and additional services you may require. A visit to your local Costco store will give you exact pricing for the models that interest you.

Two additional notes: 1) Costco dispensers generally don’t have as much time for patients or “skin in the game” as might a typical owner or partner in a private practice, and 2) the “Costco dispensing model” is geared more toward higher volume than comprehensive hearing care. People with more complex/severe hearing losses will benefit from the specialized diagnostics and individualized attention (i.e., numerous follow-up visits, assistive technologies, aural rehab, tinnitus treatments, etc.) offered by audiology practices.

In-store service

Despite the tradeoffs, loyal Costco customers appreciate a selling model geared toward customer convenience. You can make an appointment to schedule a free hearing test at one of Costco’s fully equipped hearing centers, typically staffed by a state-licensed hearing aid dispenser or (less commonly) an audiologist. Because your provider works on salary, not commission, you won't have to worry much about a high-pressure sales pitch.

And if you’re worried that your test will be compromised by the din of shoppers in Costco’s large warehouse space, don’t be. Each hearing center has a sound-proofed booth designed to provide optimal conditions for hearing tests. Here's what to expect:

• The initial hearing evaluation takes about one-and-a-half hours. After filling out a four-page intake form describing your general health, your self-perceived hearing status, and your previous experience with hearing aids (if any), you’ll take a hearing test in the sound booth. Your provider will administer the test and recommend the hearing aids that best suit your hearing needs.
• The hearing test is free—you can take a copy of the test home with you—and you only pay when you place an order for new hearing aids. And if you need to be fitted with a custom earmold or in-the-ear style hearing aid, the provider will take molds of your ears using earmold impression material. These will be used to manufacture your hearing aids.
• When your hearing aids are ready, you’ll return for a fitting appointment, where your new hearing aids will be programmed to your personal hearing-loss profile using real-ear measurements. Costco offers extended free follow-up appointments for the lifetime of the hearing aids, free hearing-aid cleanings, free check-ups, and free programming adjustments.

The purchase price of all hearing aids includes standard three-year manufacturers' warranties covering any repairs that may be required, including replacement of your hearing aid if necessary. And Costco offers a two-year loss-and-damage warranty, with no deductible cost, to replace up to one hearing aid per ear during the warranty period.

A range of styles and prices

Costco hearing aids come in all form factors, including open-fit behind-the-ear (BTE), custom BTE, receiver-in-the-canal (RIC), and custom in-the-ear (ITE). They also come with a range of up-to-date features, including rechargeability, advanced directional noise suppression, and Bluetooth connectivity enabling wireless audio streaming.

Wireless accessories are also available, such as the popular audio transmitters that broadcast audio directly to your hearing aids for assistance hearing in background noise. Accessories cost extra, as do earmolds for custom in-the-ear styles.

Following are summaries of the products available from each brand.

Jabra hearing aids from Costco

Costco sells Jabra-branded hearing aids starting at $1,699.99 a pair. Jabra built a strong consumer brand name producing wireless earbuds and office headsets before parent company GN Store Nord A/S (based in Denmark) moved it into the hearing health space with its Jabra Enhance Pro 10 hearing aids, offered exclusively to Costco members.

To anyone familiar with the industry, Jabra Enhance Pro hearing aids look a lot like the GN Resound Omnia, the latest flagship line from ReSound—one of the world’s top-five hearing aid brands. Enhance Pro and Omnia RIC hearing aids both offer ReSound’s latest Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear ("M&RIE") technology to provide more natural sound, offer rechargeable form factors, and provide the same suite of apps and wireless accessories. But according to HearingTracker's latest pricing data, premium Omnia hearing aids sold by private practices can cost $4,500 to $6,700 per pair.

The key technology behind Jabra Enhance Pro 10 features advanced sound processing with directional microphones for better understanding of speech in noise and automatic adjustment, optimizing program settings for changes in the sound environment.

Jabra Enhance Pro 10 rechargeable hearing aids contain built-in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries and come with a charger included in the purchase price. These aids are expected to get a full day of battery life on a single 3-hour charge, and you can also opt for a Premium Charger case with 3 extra charges for on-the-go power without being connected to a power source.

They also offers ReSound’s popular made-for-iPhone (MFi) and Android ASHA wireless audio streaming technologies that let you use your hearing aids for stereo headphone streaming with compatible iOS^® and Android™ devices. This includes connection with a wide range of wireless accessories, and hands-free calling with iPhones and iPads (iPhone 11 or later; see Costco's page for iPad compatibility).

And the Enhance Pro app allows you to control the hearing aids from your Samsung Galaxy phone, your iPhone, or even your Apple Watch. The app also offers two convenient ways to connect with your hearing care professional: 1) Live Assist gives you face-to-face video on your phone similar to a FaceTime or Zoom conference, and 2) You can request adjustments to your hearing aids via remote fine-tuning.

Jabra Enhance Pro 10 is available in a wide range of styles, from RIC to in-ear solutions.

Philips hearing aids from Costco

When top-five hearing aid manufacturer Demant forged a partnership with Philips in the spring of 2019 to produce HearLink hearing aids under the Philips brand, people wondered how the global consumer electronics giant would distribute the high-end products. They quickly got their answer when Costco started to sell Philips HearLink hearing aids in its hearing aid centers.

Demant is one of the world's top five hearing aid manufacturers, and its Oticon Real, Oticon More, and Oticon Own hearing aids are among the best in the world. The Philips HearLink rechargeable hearing aids, priced starting at $1,499.99 per pair, take advantage of Demant's advanced technologies and come in a range of styles and feature sets.

Costco's new, high-performance HearLink 9040 hearing aids come in six colors and four different styles, including a rechargeable receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aid and a smaller miniRITE version that uses a size 312 disposable battery and is available in three technology levels. Their AI Sound Technology “trains the hearing aid to first listen to speech in noise, then apply the learning to make speech clearer even in noisy environments.” Now featuring SoundProtect, HearLink 9040 aids are designed to automatically reduce unwanted sudden loud noises, as well as the impact of wind and handling noise—like when you put on or adjust the device, or have a cap or scarf rub against it.

HearLink models are Made for iPhone, providing wireless hands-free audio streaming from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod, and support direct Android audio streaming through Android ASHA (for Android, you hear conversation through the hearing aids, but must talk into the phone receiver to be heard by the other party). They also feature multichannel directional microphones and active noise management responding to changes in your listening environment.

While Costco prices the Hearlink hearing aids starting at $1,599 a pair, the Oticon products available from independent providers cost more than $5,000 a pair, according to HearingTracker's latest product data.

The SoundMap 2 sound processing software in Philips’ HearLink hearing aids benefits from Demant’s “AI sound” and “brain hearing” technologies and is designed to improve your ability to understand speech in noisy settings. Philips claims that SoundMap 2 removes noise efficiently across 24 frequency bands to “create a superb sound quality.”

With its new HearLink 9040 series, Costco also came out with a it new HearLink 2 app that lets you use your smartphone to change listening programs, adjust volume, mute your hearing aids, activate streaming functions, and even locate your hearing aids when you can’t find them. It also enables remote fitting so you can receive programming adjustments outside the clinic.

Utilizing Philips’ SoundTie 2 technology, Costco also offers wireless accessories, including a Philips AudioClip that streams calls from your Bluetooth-enabled Android smartphone to your hearing aids; a Philips TV adapter that transmits wireless audio directly from the TV to your hearing aids; and a Philips Remote Control which can be used to control volume and program settings and is small enough to carry in your pocket or purse.

HearLink hearing aids come with a telecoil and are IP68 rated, which is the "gold standard" for hearing aid dust and moisture protection.

The previous Philips HearLink hearing aids were often compared to Demant’s Bernafon Alpha hearing aids. Some have even speculated that the Alpha wasn’t released in the USA due to being rebranded as a Philips product—and Alpha was often compared to Oticon More. The bottom line is Philips hearing aids borrow heavily from world-class Oticon and Bernafon hearing technology.

Rexton hearing aids from Costco

Costo sells Rexton’s BiCore C R-Li line of premium hearing aids at prices starting at $1,499.99 a pair. Rexton is a brand manufactured by WS Audiology, one of the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturers.

The Rexton BiCore hearing aids utilize technology found in WS Audiology's premium Signia brand of hearing aids. But multiple Signia models cost from $3,000 to more than $5,000 per pair.

Rexton promotes BiCore's rugged design as "our toughest hearing aid yet," but the product family also features Signia's slim, award-winning "Styletto" design for fashion-conscious consumers.

The Rexton hearing aids feature rechargeability and wireless technology, including Made-for-iPhone connectivity, direct Bluetooth streaming to ASHA-enabled Android phones, and wireless accessories. BiCore technology also separates and processes speech and background noise to provide better speech clarity while maintaining the background around you for a more natural listening experience.

The Rexton hearing aids feature rechargeability and wireless technology, including Made-for-iPhone connectivity, direct Bluetooth streaming to ASHA-enabled Android phones, and wireless accessories. BiCore technology also separates and processes speech and background noise to provide better speech clarity while maintaining the background around you for a more natural listening experience.

They are available in multiple form factors, including slim receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) models, traditional behind-the-ear (BTE) models, and small instant-fit in-the-canal (IIC) models with a silicone tip.

Featuring Rexton’s M-Core (MotionCore) technology, they automatically recognize and adapt to different hearing situations. And they offer Rexton’s My Voice sound processing system, which recognizes the wearer’s individual voice and processes it differently from other voices and sounds to make it sound more natural.

They also provide wireless Made-for-iPhone connectivity as well as connection to TVs and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. The Rexton Smart Transmitter 2.4 streams TV wirelessly to both hearing aids, the Rexton Smart Mic provides hands-free streaming of phone calls and media, and the Rexton Smart Key is a small remote control that can be carried in your pocket.

Finally, a Rexton App lets you use your smartphone as a remote controller to adjust hearing aid volume and program settings, and to manage connections with Bluetooth devices.

Lexie B2 OTC hearing aids from Costco

Lexie B2 Powered by Bose hearing aids are the first-ever OTC hearing aids offered by Costco. The Lexie hearing aids have been advertised on Costco's website for $980, which is a $20 discount compared to the Lexie website. Unlike the prescription hearing aids sold in its hearing centers, Costco does not offer in-store support for the OTC hearing aids, but Lexie offers extensive online tele-health support from its own staff of hearing health professionals.

The Lexie B2 hearing aids are self-fitting and self-tuning, with an app that enables customization so you can hear better in a variety of settings. They are also rechargeable, providing up to 18 hours of use per charge. And multiple sizes of eartips and a fitting tool are included.

Starting in May 2023, Lexie B2 Hearing Aids Powered by Bose wearers with iPhones (iOS 13 or later) will be able to conduct voice calls via Bluetooth using their aids for added convenience. However, hands-free calling will not be available yet; in other words, users will be able to receive audio from their iPhones, but they'll still need to speak into the receiver to be heard by the person on the line.

The B2 is a receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid that offers good sound quality, on-device volume control, directional microphones, noise reduction, and smartphone app control to customize the device for individual users. While they use Bluetooth wireless technology to connect with the Lexie app and stream phone calls, they are not yet designed for high-quality streaming of music or other audio from smartphones.

Things to consider when you shop for Costco hearing aids

Buying hearing aids can be very confusing, especially if you’ve never worn them before. There will be plenty of options to consider, even after you’ve chosen a brand and general feature set that you’re comfortable with. Your overall costs will vary depending on which models, features, and accessories you buy. Here are a few things to ask about at Costco:

• Price: The Costco website lists “starting at” prices for most of its prescription hearing aids, but pay close attention to the fine print. Most price listings have notes at the bottom of the page that say “Prices may vary by state.” And different model versions with varying optional features, such as rechargeable batteries, may also carry different prices. For instance, a custom hearing aid model requiring an ear mold impression usually costs about $100 more than the same hearing aid with an open-fit design. You will also pay extra for accessories.
• Warranties: The purchase price of all Costco prescription hearing aids includes a standard three-year warranty covering any repairs that may be required, including replacement of your hearing aid if necessary. They also come with a two-year loss-and-damage warranty, with no deductible cost, to replace up to one hearing aid per ear during the warranty period. Those warranties are as good as those offered by most name-brand hearing aid makers, if not better. Costco says the warranties are one of the benefits you get from your Costco Wholesale membership.
• Batteries: Disposable hearing aid batteries can cost a hundred dollars a year or more. Costco will send you home with new batteries in your hearing aids, but no extras. However, you can buy a 40-pack of Varta zinc-air disposable hearing aid batteries at Costco for $8.29, which is a great deal compared with what you pay for batteries at CVS or Walgreens.
• Accessories: Remote microphones, TV audio streamers, remote controllers and other accessories are available with most of the hearing aids Costco offers. Prices for the accessories can vary, so be sure to find out the total cost of your purchase including any options you may want.
• Smartphone apps: Most hearing aids now come with dedicated smartphone apps that can be downloaded for free from the manufacturers’ website or from an app store. The apps can be used to change volume, switch program settings, manage accessory connections, and control the hearing aids in other ways. And if your hearing aids are Bluetooth-compatible, the apps will help you pair your hearing aids with compatible devices.

What’s the net when considering Costco for your hearing aids? Even with costs for extras, you can expect to pay less than at a private audiology practice. You can also expect to get ongoing service and support from licensed hearing aid professionals. And you can expect a good selection of high-performance products with plenty of accessories and connectivity options.

But if you’re in the market for the latest and greatest premium models from the top hearing aid brands, or if you want personal attention from a doctor of audiology, an independent provider may be better suited to your needs.

What do Costco's customers say?

At the HearingTracker Hearing Loss Forum, an online community for new and experienced users of hearing aids, there are literally hundreds of posts on the Costco experience. For example, in February 2023, members of our HearingTracker Forum community were among the first to report that the new Philips HearLink 9040 hearing aids will soon be available in Costco hearing centers.

No matter what kinds of hearing aids you are considering, it's worth spending time on our Forum. You will get up close and personal with hundreds of other hearing aid users' experiences, both pro and con. And if you have thoughts to add, it's easy to sign up and start contributing your own comments to the community.

Pros and cons of buying hearing aids at Costco

Dr Cliff Olson, founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix Arizona, discusses a few reasons why he LOVES that Costco Sells Hearing Aids and a few reasons he doesn't. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.

(NOTE: At the time Dr. Cliff did his review, Costco “locked” its hearing aids. Locked hearing aids are programmable only at the point of purchase, preventing you from taking them to a private audiologist for programming updates. But in 2022, Costco’s US Operations team told HearingTracker that all new Costco hearing aids would be unlocked, enabling you to have them programmed by an independent audiologist if you want.)

Competition from low-cost OTC hearing aids

The Costco hearing aid juggernaut doesn't show signs of slowing down any time soon. HearingTracker estimates Costco dispenses around 580,000 hearing aids per year, accounting for nearly 15% of all units sold in the U.S. retail market during 2022. That means Costco is the second-largest distributor of hearing aids in the United States behind only the Department of Veterans Affairs.

But competition from affordable over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids is coming. When the FDA approved the online sale of low-cost OTC hearing aids in 2022, it paved the way for dozens of new companies marketing high-quality non-prescription hearing aids at prices even lower than Costco's. "Self-fitting" OTC hearing aids allow you to program them to fit your own hearing loss. By cutting out programming assistance from hearing professionals, they can charge substantially lower prices than Costco or private audiologist practices.

The Lexie B2 hearing aids that Costco is now stocking were among the first OTC hearing aids that hit the market in early 2023. It's too early to know if the lower-priced Lexie hearing aids, or the many additional OTC hearing aids available through other channels in 2023, will impact sales of the prescription hearing aids sold in the Costco hearing centers.

If you're considering Costco as a way to pay less for a pair of quality hearing aids, be sure to continue checking back in at HearingTracker. You will find updates and comparisons on how the new OTC hearing aids may compete on price and performance with Costco's and other providers' prescription hearing aids.

Competition from Sam's Club

Sam's Club hearing aids are provided through Lucid Hearing Centers in an estimated 450 Sam's Club stores throughout the United States. These centers are staffed by licensed hearing care professionals employed by Lucid Hearing who will custom-fit prescription hearing aids for about $1,300 to $5,000.

Overall, you may be able to get hearing aids at Sam's Club for about the same or even less than Costco, but this comes with some tradeoffs. Their selection is restricted to one company (Lucid) and—although Lucid generally makes good-quality devices—they may not have all the bells and whistles found in the global hearing aid brands (e.g., AI, motion sensors, a range of rechargeability and accessories options, etc). Additionally, Sam's Club hearing aids, unlike Costco's, are locked, meaning you cannot get them reprogrammed or serviced by a hearing care professional outside of the Sam's Club or Lucid Hearing Centers network.

We think Sam's Club is a particularly good option if don’t know whether to choose OTC or prescription hearing aids. Lucid makes a good selection of OTC hearing aids, like Engage, priced between $200 to $800. Sam's provides the added option of allowing you to get professional programming of these devices for $198—essentially transforming them into prescription hearing aids. Additionally, if you wish to return your OTC hearing aids within the trial period, you can choose to upgrade to prescription hearing aids instead.

Kirkland Signature 10.0 (KS10) - What happened to the popular Costco house brand?

HearingTracker reported on October 5, 2022 that Costco hit the pause button on sales of the KS10 hearing aid, making this model unavailable. The KS10, which was made by the world's largest hearing aid manufacturer Sonova, appeared to have experienced an increase in problems related to recharging, although people close to the situation contend the incidence of these problems did not rise substantially above industry norms for lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aids.

Then, on November 21, 2022, HearingTracker  broke the news that Sonova had decided to discontinue sales of all products to Costco, citing “the decision to focus the distribution of our Phonak brand with strategic channels and eliminate our offering in certain large retail chains.”

That means, at this writing, you cannot purchase the Costco KS10 or the Phonak Brio 4 and Brio 5 models also previously sold by Costco. If you've been fitted with the KS10 or Brio products, you will still be able to receive all services and support associated with the hearing aids from Costco hearing care professionals.

HearingTracker Audiologist breaks the news about Sonova discontinuing its distribution of Phonak products to Costco. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.