The 3 Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids of 2025

We’ve tested 30 pairs of OTC hearing aids and considered many more. Below are the most recent models we tested and dismissed. You can read about previously dismissed competitors in this spreadsheet.

Audien Atom Pro: Our panel had an extreme dislike for the volume dial, which required a screwdriver.

Ceretone Fusion: This set has an earbud-like design and an inexpensive price, and we liked the 60-day return policy. However, we became skeptical when we saw customer-service and build-quality complaints on Trust Pilot, and we noticed that nearly all of the positive reviews on the Ceretone site were posted on the same date. We reached out to Ceretone and never heard back. Additionally, Wired tested them and were less than impressed.

Hearing Assist Stream and iHear Matrix: We’re discussing these two pairs together because they are nearly identical in design. In fact, they’re so close that, when we requested one pair to test, the company offered the other instead, telling us that the experience was the same. However, there is one glaring difference: The Matrix set costs $200 more. We inquired about that $200 discrepancy, and representatives told us that iHear plans to offer extra support. However, at this writing, we haven’t seen any additional service offerings, and at the time we checked, the iHear site redirected to “OTC Health Mart”, where other iHear products are sold and the Matrix seems to have been rebranded as the “Connect.” Regardless, we don’t recommend either set. Our panel found the manual extremely unhelpful in setup and the app lacking in customization capabilities. But worst of all, Tom discovered that these hearing aids have a “battery-saving” feature that turns them off when it’s too quiet for too long—in his case, when he spent some time reading a book. This is a huge safety hazard, as the hearing aids don’t turn back on in reaction to noise, so Tom would have had no idea if, for example, a smoke alarm had sounded, someone had knocked at the door, or someone had yelled his name.

HP Hearing Pro: This pair was a complete bust. The chassis of each piece is notably large, and one panelist struggled to keep the pair in their ears long enough to complete the setup process. For those panelists who could get a secure fit, the design wasn’t comfortable enough for long-term wear. Our panelists were also somewhat divided about whether the earbud-like design was visually appealing, but nobody said this was a set that they’d want to wear for hours daily.

Kingwell Melodia: This pair was not a favorite. Our panelists noticed a small but perceptible delay between the source of a sound and the amplification made by the Melodia. They also weren’t fans of the app, which they felt was not user-friendly. Although the Melodia’s sealed design made this pair sound better than traditional hearing aids when streaming music, our panelists preferred using the AirPods Pro 2.

Lexie B1 Powered by Bose: This pair was remarkably similar to the now-discontinued Bose Sound Control hearing aids. Fiona, who was a member of both of our testing panels, said she had to check her notes because she thought she was retesting a pair she’d already tried. The panel concluded that the directionality of sound was decent, but the performance in noisy situations was middle-of-the-road. The consensus: Of the Lexie hearing aids, the B2 is the better choice.

Lexie B2 Powered by Bose: Our panelists found the B2 to be comfortable to wear, and the amplification to be clearer and less tinny-sounding than that of similarly priced devices. The battery life was sufficient for a full day of use, and the charging case, though not pocketable in size, was easy enough to use and to keep in a small bag. However, the panelists found aspects of the app to be cumbersome or difficult to read, and the process of discovering appropriate settings took more trial and error than in the Jabra system. One panelist mentioned that she was startled when the B2 blasted her ears with the sound of her husband turning on a vacuum cleaner, so she wished that the B2 had more of a limiter. Despite those issues, everyone agreed that, for the price, the Lexie B2 would be a runner-up to the Jabra Enhance Select for those who like a behind-the-ear design.

Lucid Engage Rechargeable: Our testers described the sound as “acceptable” and the fit as “relatively secure,” but they found the size of the module behind the ear to be too large and noticeable for them to want to wear these regularly. Young, who specifically preferred low-profile hearing aids, found the design to be a nonstarter.

Lucid Fio: The fit was a hit, especially for those testers with smaller ears, like Fiona. She appreciated that the unobtrusive design limited the amount of friction noise she experienced (from hair, hats, and glasses brushing against the microphones). The rapid charging was a hit, too: The Fio set fully powers up within an hour. However, the listening experience was less seamless. During the initial setup, the default volume was loud, which Fiona found jarring and mildly painful. Additionally, to change the settings, you must have the hearing aids in the case. Our panel described the onerous process of listening, taking the hearing aid out, putting the hearing aid in the case, making a change on the app, putting the hearing aid back on, listening again, and repeating that pattern over and over for each ear. Even with all the putting in and taking out, they didn’t think they were able to dial in the sound perfectly.

The Fio set offers the option to input an audiogram, but this part of the app is finicky, and our testers found that the task was difficult to accomplish on a phone. Fiona commented that her audiogram ended up looking “more like a sine wave than any logical curve.” This OTC hearing aid also seems intended to be adjusted with the assistance of an audiologist, which could be seen as defeating the purpose of buying an over-the-counter option. Our panel noticed too that the packaging is tricky to open, which could be painful or difficult for people with arthritis or other dexterity challenges.

Olive Union Olive Max: The Max’s 10-hour battery life is longer than that of many other earbud-style hearing aids. However, our panelists were so put off by the bulky design that they felt they’d never wear this set long enough to run the battery down. They also didn’t like that the trial period is only 30 days, which isn’t long enough to get a feel for the pair’s performance.

Sennheiser All-Day Clear: Though one panelist described the setup process as an “absolute pain” that took about two hours, our testers appreciated that Sennheiser uses speech rather than tones for the calibration. The end result was largely worth the effort, as testers said that the All-Day Clear set was one of the few hearing aid sets that didn’t amplify high-pitched sharp sounds (keyboard clicks, nails tapping, sleigh bells) to an annoying degree. Panelists also described the wind-noise reduction as exceptional.

This pair wasn’t without drawbacks, however. The All-Day Clear set was prone to occasional “annoying but not painful” feedback when the wearer was performing tasks near the ears, such as putting one’s hair into a ponytail or adjusting a hat. And testers said the sound that the hearing aids made when powering down was loud and alarming—or, as Fiona put it, “Think a quieter version of ‘This nuclear reactor is about to melt down.’”

Overall, our panel preferred the Jabra Enhance Select 300 and Lexie B2 for those who want a behind-the-ear style, especially considering the price. But they also said that the All-Day Clear pair could be worth considering for someone who is frequently outside in windy places, such as avid hikers or bikers.

Sony CRE-E10: Our panel reported that the CRE-E10 performed just as well as the Sony CRE-C10 in hearing enhancement. Young appreciated how stable the CRE-E10 felt in his ear, saying that he thought there was no way it would fall out and get lost. However, the important difference between the two Sony models is the CRE-E10’s streaming capabilities, and unfortunately our panel experienced frequent connection issues, including drops, static, and unpairing. It’s a huge bummer, because we love that these hearing aids can work with both Apple and Android phones. If Sony irons out that issue, this pair could end up being one of our picks.

Soundwave Sontro: Though our panelists ultimately preferred other designs for one reason or another, the Soundwave Sontro is a solid one-step-up-from-basic set of hearing aids. The app provides a few amplification modes, but our testers found that they preferred the standard option most of the time, as the other modes made speech sound off (noise mode) or made the environmental sounds feel less rich and authentic (entertainment mode).

The hearing test is straightforward, and the setup process is quick. One panelist, who has a hearing imbalance between their left and right ears, appreciated that the Sontro’s hearing test flagged that difference and suggested they see an audiologist for further testing. For someone who has never had their hearing formally tested and may be unaware of such aspects of their hearing health, this seemingly small feature could prove meaningful. The Sontro set uses disposable batteries, and our panel said that the amount of time between changes was acceptable. Fiona particularly loved that the app displayed battery status, so she could leave the house for the day confident that she had enough power.

The Sontro has a few downsides. The buttons on the chassis behind the ear can be tricky to squeeze, the thicker receiver wires might be more noticeable than the thinner ones on the Jabra Enhance Select model, and this pair can’t take phone calls or stream audio. But if you want nearly no-frills traditional hearing aids and don’t mind spending a bit more for a better app, the Sontro set is a perfectly fine choice.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.