Comprehensive Guide to Hearing Aids: What You Need to Know for 2024

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.

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.

Most hearing aids today also offer Bluetooth audio streaming for iPhones, Android devices, or both. These allow you to listen to phone calls—sometimes hands-free—or to enjoy your favorite movies, podcasts, or other streamed audio.

Increasingly, just about any function that involves listening, is now being incorporated inside hearing aids. We'll go into more detail below in the section labeled "Hearing Aid Features.”

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 and/or app-based controls.* (Skip ahead to our hearing aid features section to learn more.)

Prescription vs OTC hearing aids

There are now two types of FDA classified hearing aids in the United States. Prescription hearing aids are generally dispensed by state-licensed audiologists, hearing aid specialists, or ENT doctors. OTC hearing aids are a new class of products created by the FDA in October 2022 to make hearing aids more affordable and accessible for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, commonly purchased online and at retail outlets, but some may be available via hearing clinics.

OTC hearing aids come with considerably fewer FDA regulations and consumer protections. As do-it-yourself (DIY) type products with prices ranging from $99 to over $2,000, they are broadly split into two types: 1) Self-fitting OTC hearing aids that rely on a hearing assessment or results from an audiogram so they can better compensate for your unique hearing loss, and 2) Instant-fit OTC hearing aids, "wear-and-go" type devices that rely on pre-set programs and/or volume adjustments.

We cover OTC hearing aids in detail, complete with sound samples, on our Best OTC Hearing Aids page.

Digital hearing aids have superseded analog devices

Almost all of today's hearing aids—prescription and OTC—are digital. Analog hearing aids are extremely rare and only used in a few applications by major manufacturers (e.g., Phonak Lyric extended-wear hearing aids). Some hearing aid wearers, like those with severe hearing loss, may express a preference for the more "linear" sound of analog devices, particularly if they previously wore them. In these rare cases, they may look for a more basic-level digital device that can be "de-programmed” with lower levels of compression and deactivated features.

However, they might be cheating themselves. “While compression is good in most cases, when someone comes from a linearly programmed hearing aid, they will not be used to that amount of compression,” writes Clifford (Dr. Cliff) Olson, AuD, a Phoenix-based audiologist and popular YouTuber.  “Digital hearing aids may provide different sound quality from analog aids, but this should not prevent you from being able to gradually switch to a digital aid if the programming is done right. It isn't easy for the user or the provider, but it can be done.”

Note that the descriptions in this article primarily address digital prescription hearing aids.

Hearing aid prices

One of the biggest complaints consumers have about hearing aids is their high cost. While a pair of premium hearing aids can set you back anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000+, over the past few years, more and more high-performance hearing aid models have become available at much lower price points.

A recent HearingTracker 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.

Prescription hearing aids by these manufacturers are usually offered in several different models, ranging from basic to premium, aimed at your lifestyle and hearing needs. They may also come in 2 to 4 technology tiers with the higher tiers offering more features like advanced noise reduction systems. In clinics and hearing care offices, you'll find the cost of these hearing aids to range from about $1,500 to $7,000, depending on the brand and model, technology level, and service package.

Many options exist for reducing the out-of-pocket costs of hearing aids, and HearingTracker has provided A Guide to Paying for Hearing Aids that outlines the most popular ones. These include paying through insurance, the Veterans Administration, financing options, subscription hearing aids, and more.

To save money, some consumers shop for hearing aids at Costco or Sam's Club, which offer prescription hearing aids starting at around $1,500. Other people purchase lower-end models or turn to direct-to-consumer online channels.

If you're on a budget and have mild-to-moderate, less-complex hearing loss, be sure to learn about the new class of FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, now widely available online and in well-known retailers like Walmart and Best Buy.

Which hearing aid brands are the best?

This is a very difficult question, as hearing aid manufacturers offer many different product families, models, and styles—often with unique features and benefits that target individual users' needs. However, most hearing care providers rely heavily on the quality of hearing aids coming from the “Big Five” hearing aid manufacturers. The Big Five manufacturers each sink millions of dollars annually into product research and development, have high standards, and back them up with solid warranties and services. This means you generally can’t go wrong by sticking with the industry’s top brands.

Understanding the brands

Did you know that Unitron, Phonak, and Sennheiser are all manufactured by Sonova? Did you know that most Miracle-Ear hearing aids are manufactured by Starkey and WS Audiology (the same company that manufactures all Widex, Signia, and Rexton hearing aids), and all Beltone hearing aids are manufactured by GN (the parent group of ReSound and Jabra)?

To help shed a little light on the interrelatedness of hearing aid brands, retail brands, and hearing aid manufacturers and distributors, 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.

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!

Disclaimer: The 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; some indicate distribution agreements or branding partnerships. Any corrections may be suggested using the inline commenting system or by contacting info@hearingtracker.com.

The “Big Five” hearing aid brands: A technology race

Five companies or parent groups currently command more than 90% 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?

Phonak Hearing Aids

Sonova Group, Stäfa, Switzerland

Phonak is the top global hearing aid brand by sales volume. Founded in 1947 in Switzerland, 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, just outside of Zürich. In 2007, the holding company renamed itself Sonova Holding AG, or Sonova Group, which now includes Unitron, Sennheiser, and Hansaton. It also owns the US hearing network, Connect Hearing, and European hearing care giant AudioNova (Sonova is in the process of consolidating its numerous US distribution brands under the AudioNova umbrella). It also makes Advanced Bionics cochlear implants.

Phonak, with US headquarters near Chicago, is Sonova Group's flagship brand. It is known not only as a market leader but also as an innovator in hearing aid products, technologies, and distribution. For example, in 2017, Phonak introduced Audéo B-R, the first hearing aid to feature a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, providing all-day power. Today, their Infinio hearing aid offers all-day rechargeable batteries, an accelerometer for motion sensing, tap controls, and improved speech clarity in noise using artificial intelligence.

Phonak is widely relied upon for its variety of power hearing aids in the Naída Lumity and Sky Lumity lines for people with more severe hearing loss and children with hearing loss, respectively. For smaller custom hearing aids, it has recently added its new Virto Infinio, which includes a rechargeable wireless in-the-canal (ITC) device, and the smaller non-wireless size 10 battery-powered completely-in-canal (CIC) and P-Titanium invisible-in-canal (IIC) models.

Additionally, Phonak makes the world's only 24/7, truly invisible, extended-wear hearing aid, Lyric.

Oticon Hearing Aids

Demant Group, Kongebakken, Denmark

Oticon is the flagship brand of the Danish Demant Group, the world's second-largest hearing aid manufacturer, which also makes Bernafon and Philips-branded products. HearingTracker estimates that Demant supplies about 30% of the global prescriptive hearing aid market—just slightly less than Sonova relative to market share. Demant is also a leader in manufacturing diagnostic audiology equipment (companies include Audioscan, MedRx, Interacoustics, Maico) and bone-conduction implants (Oticon Medical).

Oticon was founded in 1904 by Hans Demant, whose wife had hearing loss, and it has a long history of producing innovative hearing aid technology. For example, in 1996, Oticon launched DigiFocus, the world's first fully digital behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid. In 2016, with the introduction of its first Made-for-iPhone Oticon Opn hearing aids, the company helped usher in wireless "internet-connected hearing aids" along with advances in sound processing.

With its US headquarters in Somerset, NJ, Oticon remains a leader in aid innovation. Introduced in 2024, Oticon Intent picks up where its predecessors Oticon Real and More left off. Intent advances the company's BrainHearing™ philosophy with 4D Sensor technology and artificial intelligence in a 2nd-gen Deep Neural Network (DNN) model that runs onboard Oticon's new Sirius sound processing platform.

You can listen to how Oticon Intent hearing aids sound in two listening environments by putting on a set of high-quality headphones and clicking on the red "play" buttons below.

Oticon also offers the discreet Oticon Own custom in-ear line, Oticon Xceed power aids for people with more severe hearing loss, and the Zircon economy aids for budget-conscious consumers.

Widex and Signia hearing aids

WS Audiology (WSA), Lynge, Denmark

The 2019 merger of two prominent and long-standing hearing aid brands, Denmark-based Widex and Germany-based Sivantos, created WS Audiology (WSA), which is the third-largest hearing aid company in the world with about 18% of the global market. Sivantos was folded into the WSA brand and included hearing aid manufacturers Signia (formerly Siemens Hearing Instruments) and Rexton, and the retail and online distributors HearUSA and Hear.com.

WSA is primarily managed by the Tøpholm and Westermann families, the original founders of Widex, but the ownership group, which includes EQT funds, is expected to take WSA public in the next couple of years. Widex US headquarters are in Hauppauge, NY, while Signia has recently relocated about 80 miles east to Iselin, NJ. Although the two companies share the same parent company, they still retain distinctive technologies and have unique characteristics.

Widex has a reputation for being an engineering maverick. Among its important innovations were the world's first digital in-ear hearing aid (Senso), the use of longer attack/release times in hearing aid processing, in-situ fittings (testing your hearing loss via the hearing aid itself), and the first implementation of fractal tones in hearing aids to help alleviate tinnitus (Widex Zen). Many of these innovations have since been employed by Widex's competitors.

Today, the company's flagship product is the MOMENT line, which was introduced in 2020 and features ZeroDelay™ and PureSound™ technologies. The Widex brand is a particular favorite among musicians, with Widex MOMENT SmartRIC (below top) and MOMENT Sheer being more recent offerings in the line.

Signia is bound by its history with Siemens Hearing Instruments, one of the world's first manufacturers of hearing aids that went on to make everything from toasters to nuclear reactors. As a pioneer in microelectronics, Siemens developed some of the first directional microphones in the hearing industry and was a pioneer in wireless ear-to-ear connectivity that coordinates the sound inputs between two hearing aids.

In the US, Signia has recently relocated to new headquarters in Iselin, NJ, about 80 miles east of Widex. Rexton hearing aids offered at Costco and Sony-branded OTC hearing aids borrow strongly from Signia's advanced technology. Signia has also supplied technology found in Miracle-Ear hearing aids.

Signia's flagship brand is its Integrated Xperience (IX) line, which are designed to split sound into four independent snapshots and generate a “focus stream” that follows the conversation, even if the speaker of interest is moving. Products in the IX line include the Pure Charge&Go IX receiver-in-canal (RIC), Styletto IX slim-line RIC, and Insio IX in-ear custom hearing aids.

ReSound Hearing Aids

GN Store Nord Group, Ballerup, Denmark

ReSound is the flagship brand of Denmark-based GN Store Nord, the fourth-largest hearing aid group with about 17% of the global market. GN purchased ReSound in 2000 and is also the parent company of Beltone, Audigy, Jabra, and e-gaming giant SteelSeries. ReSound has its headquarters in Bloomington, Minn, and GN's US headquarters are in Chicago.

Since its inception in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986, ReSound has been a technology leader. In the 1990s, it pioneered analog programmable hearing aids and wide dynamic-range compression (WDRC) audio processing with technology originally developed by AT&T Bell Labs. ReSound can claim several “hearing technology firsts," including the first slim-tube BTE (ReSound Avance in 1998), the first commercially successful open-fit aid (ReSoundAIR in 2003), the first 2.4 GHz wireless streaming aid (Alera in 2010), and the first Made-for-iPhone (MFi) hearing aids (LiNX in 2014).

It continued this tradition in 2023 by introducing ReSound Nexia, the first hearing aid that incorporated Bluetooth LE with Auracast broadcasting technology. Available in a full range of styles, Nexia builds on the company's successful Omnia hearing aid line (released only in 2022) with technology like 360 All-Around and FrontFocus, both of which provide more processing power and tools for better hearing in noise.

For a less-expensive option, ReSound offers its LiNX Quattro and Key lines, and it provides its Enzo hearing aid for people with more severe hearing loss. The ReSound Custom line rounds out the company's offerings with distinctive designs, featuring a large button on the ITEs and ITC for user control and a recharging case with matching custom inserts to ensure easy, reliable charging.

Starkey Hearing

Eden Prairie, Minn

Starkey, with its headquarters in Minneapolis, is the only truly US-based manufacturer of hearing aids in the Big 5. Founded by William (Bill) Austin in 1967 as an earmold lab for hearing aid shell fabrication, Austin soon began building hearing aids and gradually expanded sales worldwide. Fast forward to today, and Starkey is investing heavily in research and development, delivering innovations in AI-driven sound processing, wireless technologies, and miniaturization. Although HearingTracker estimates that Starkey's global market share is fifth among the Big 5 manufacturing groups, Starkey is probably the third or fourth most popular brand within the US.

Starkey is known for its expertise in building advanced, tiny in-ear custom hearing aids—a heritage cultivated by Bill Austin, who remains deeply involved with the company and its foundation. But in 2018, the company introduced the first AI-powered hearing aids with integrated sensors, and now has the only hearing aids with fall-detection, language translation, as well as fitness tracking. In 2023, Starkey introduced Genesis AI, a new hearing aid platform with one of the fastest and most advanced chips in the hearing industry, boasting 6 times more transistors, 10 times more memory, and 4 times faster processing than its Evolv AI predecessor.

Starkey's Genesis AI and Evolv AI CICs are the industry's only rechargeable, Bluetooth-compatible, nearly invisible hearing aids for Apple and Android, with fully hands-free phone calls for iPhone. The company also showcases its custom designs with its Signature Series products.

Are hearing aid brands really that important?

We think hearing aid brands are important, but not nearly as important as the skill and care of your hearing care provider.

Competition among the Big 5 global brands is fierce, and many other brands are also vying for market share, particularly in OTC and other niches. Every hearing aid brand has its own distinctive history, R&D approaches, and manufacturing philosophy for arriving at the best hearing aid user outcomes, as well as giving providers the best tools to achieve these outcomes. And, at any given time, there can be some standout features of one brand that may make it a better fit for you than another brand. A good hearing care professional should be able to guide you to the optimal solution, and our hope is that HearingTracker can also give you some ideas for input during the decision-making process.

Ultimately, we think that any high-quality hearing aid fitted using best practices by a skilled hearing provider who has the time to get the fitting right for you (including return visits for adjustments and counseling) is more important than the brand.

Is it important to choose a hearing aid provider that offers multiple brands?

The answer to this question depends on whom you ask. If your hearing provider offers a limited selection of brands and/or belongs to a network that dispenses hearing aids from one or two brands (e.g., Beltone, Miracle-Ear, HearingLife, Audigy, etc.), you'll have to stay with that brand(s) unless you change providers. However, assuming these are high-quality hearing aids, there are two schools of thought on this issue:

1. With fierce competition and superior technology usually determining market winners, it's pretty common to see the Big 5 hearing aid manufacturers taking turns leapfrogging each other with product innovation. Multi-brand dispensing offices are in a better position to get "the very best" technology compared to offices that offer only one or two brands. Offices offering multiple brands can also pick and choose from more specialty devices, such as those for severe-to-profound losses, CROS systems for people with single-sided deafness, tinnitus remediation, accessory products, and more.
2. All of the Big 5 brands produce high-quality hearing aids that are suitable for almost any hearing loss or lifestyle. Typically, hearing aid technology makes incremental improvements with every new product release, and the competition is rarely more than a year or two behind the leader. One brand may outperform its competition in a particular aspect but be surpassed by that same competitor in another. Further, one landmark study showed that a well-fit basic hearing aid with fewer advanced features can still perform about the same as a premium high-tech hearing aid if it is skillfully fit using best practice procedures like real-ear measurements (note: in the study, the premium devices performed slightly better in noise).

While we believe that a multi-brand dispensing practice has its advantages, the most critical factor is the quality of the hearing care provider and staff. If a single-line hearing aid provider adheres to best practices and offers excellent fittings, counseling, service, and follow-up care at a reasonable price, you can be confident in your choice.

When repurchasing hearing aids, should you stay with your previous brand?

If you really like the sound and performance of your current hearing aids, then it's probably advisable to buy the same brand again. As noted, there are some distinct sound processing philosophies among manufacturers, so you might notice differences in how things sound after switching brands. But it's not imperative you stick with the same manufacturer.

“For some people [it might be best to stay with the same brand],” says Caleb McNiece, AuD, an audiologist in Denton, Md. “Because different hearing aid manufacturers use different algorithms, different attack and release times for compression, different noise reduction strategies or frequency lowering, some people do have difficulty transitioning between them, as their brains have adapted to how their old manufacturer's aids process sound. That said, it's not impossible, and some people do it with no problem.”

There are cases where you probably will not want to change brands. For example, if you're replacing only one hearing aid in a binaural set due to it being broken or lost, it makes sense to buy the same brand; otherwise, you'd have to use a different app for each hearing aid and possibly have to deal with two different sounding devices.

When repurchasing hearing aids, remember you'll have a trial period just as you did with your first set. That means you can change your mind and either go back to your previous brand or try something else, as long as you return the aids before the trial period ends.

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:

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.

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 and often better streamed audio, but the trade-off can be reduced comfort and poorer own-voice perception.

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.

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 of the hearing aid by a thin wire and is typically secured in the ear canal with a silicon/plastic dome or ear tip. This allows external unprocessed sounds to enter and mix with the hearing-aid processed sounds, creating a more natural listening experience and better own-voice perception. However, RICs can also be fit with custom and closed molds as well.

RICs are now, by far, the most popular hearing aid style, making up about 80% of all hearing aids sold in the United States, while BTEs make up about around 8% with the latter usually reserved for more severe hearing losses (and other special cases).

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

In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids

ITE hearing aids are custom hearing aids that fit 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. ITEs are sometimes divided into two types: the larger full-shell (ITE-FS) and smaller half-shell (ITE-HS) which can resemble ITCs.

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.

CROS and BiCROS hearing aids

If you have little to no usable hearing on one ear and usable hearing on the other (e.g., single-sided deafness), you may be a candidate for a CROS hearing aid. CROS stands for Contralateral Routing of Signals, and a CROS system consists of two hearing aids: one that acts like a transmitter to pick up sound from the deaf ear and send it to the better ear, and one to play back the sound received from the deaf ear. When the better ear also has hearing loss, then sound from both ears is amplified, and this is called a BiCROS system.

Most CROS and BiCROS systems are offered in the RIC or BTE styles, although Phonak and Signia currently offer CROS ITE options.

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. Automatically generated soothing sounds relieve the annoyance and prevalence of ringing, humming, buzzing, and other unwanted noises in the head associated with tinnitus.

The major hearing aid companies are also busy developing sensor technologies to pick up data from the ear canal. These health and fitness tracking hearing aids are anticipated to play an increasingly important role, particularly as medical science continues to associate better hearing with better physical and cognitive health. In fact, market researchers are predicting that sales of "hearables" and hearing aids with integrated sensors could overtake unit sales of smartwatches within the next few years.

Finally, artificial intelligence in hearing aids is leading to new ways to recognize speech, reduce noise, and process sounds. It also drives the new app-based assistants that get you started on the right track and provide tips and advice so you can quickly become an expert in using the devices.

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, as well as ASHA (Android wireless protocol) hearing aids that provide the same capabilities (minus hands-free calling) with Android phones. And now, Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) with Auracast is becoming widely used as a connectivity platform in newer models.

Phonak, the largest hearing aid manufacturer, was the first to introduce universal Bluetooth compatibility with hearing aids that allow you to make and receive wireless calls with any Bluetooth-enabled phone. These hearing aids 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 and accessories that provide transmission of clear audio to hearing aids. These wireless 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.

Improvements in sound quality and the issue of extended high frequencies in hearing aids

Sound quality is also constantly improving, and the newest versions of Bluetooth Low-Energy (LE) audio have helped move hearing aids further toward the “high fidelity” you enjoy in products like high-end earbuds and headphones when streaming.

Traditionally, hearing aid sound quality has been limited by several factors, including physical space and the need to conserve battery life for advanced sound processing for 12-16 hours per day. Providing amplification in the extended frequency range (e.g., 6000 to 10,000 Hz) has not been a priority because the most important speech cues are found below 6000 Hz. Even music is predominantly a low-frequency phenomenon (Middle-C4 on an 88-key piano is 261 Hz and the highest key, C8, is 4186 Hz). Because many people experience greater degrees of hearing loss in the higher frequencies, the industry has historically not concentrated on providing amplification there. However, with advancements in today's receiver (electronic speaker) technology, you are now seeing some hearing aids providing amplification out to 8000 Hz.

Whether this capability for extended frequency is usable by an individual with high-frequency hearing loss—or even wise to amplify—can be the big question for hearing care providers. “There are phonemes (speech sounds) in the 6000-8000 Hz range, and amplification at those frequencies could potentially improve clarity and understanding of speech. I have fit some patients with those devices and they really like the sound,” writes John Coverstone, AuD, a Minneapolis-based audiologist who also hosts podcasts for the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). “However, additional amplification in that high-frequency region comes with a cost: We are much more likely to be battling feedback (whistling) when amplifying at those frequencies. When fitting [these] devices, it has often been necessary to adopt a different fitting strategy (such as custom molds) in order to take advantage of those higher frequencies and still control feedback.” Accommodations, like custom molds, often come with their own sets of pros and cons.

“Most adults with significant high frequency (2000-8000 Hz) hearing loss do not have usable hearing that is much above the 8000 Hz range,” continues Coverstone. “Therefore, I am not sure that we will ever try to chase frequencies above 8000 Hz, as no significant speech information is found above 8000 Hz and the majority of people with hearing loss could not receive significant benefit from amplification above 8000 Hz. It would truly not be worth the effort.”

Comparing hearing aids

HearingTracker has the world’s most comprehensive independent database of hearing-aid products. This 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.

In 2023, we added the ability to listen to sound samples measured in the HearAdvisor hearing aid performance lab, which rates and ranks the devices on several metrics like hearing in quiet and noise, feedback (whistling) reduction, the sound of your own voice, and music streaming.

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.

Consumer preferences

Over the past two years, we’ve heard from 15,000 hearing aid consumers through our Help Me Choose tool (currently being rebuilt). 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:

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

Least important:

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.