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How to shop for over-the-counter hearing aids

Now you can finally get hearing aids without a doctor’s visit. What should you be looking for?

Published: February 22, 2024 |8 minute read

Written by: Andrea Atkins

Illustration of a woman holding her hand up to her ear and three bubbles with different hearing aids surround her.

Many Americans — close to 30 million of them — experience at least some degree of hearing loss.1 Not long ago, your options were pretty limited: get by on your own or visit a health care professional to get fitted for a hearing aid.

But in October 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed the rules. It announced that many hearing aids (the ones that help with mild to moderate hearing loss) could be sold over the counter (OTC) with just a trip to the corner pharmacy.2

“This was specifically to address accessibility and affordability,” says Meaghan Reed, director of clinical audiology at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston.3 People who have hearing loss typically wait seven to eight years to do something about it,4 she notes. Without the extra fuss, connecting to a richer world of sound can be much easier. Here’s how you can get started.

In this article:

How do hearing aids work?

Hearing aids contain a tiny microphone, amplifier and speaker. They make some sounds louder, magnifying the vibrations that enter the ear.5

That said, most hearing aids don’t treat every sound equally. Hearing loss usually involves losing hearing on some frequencies but not on others, explains Nicholas Salvatore Reed,6 an audiologist and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University who also co-wrote Hearing Loss for Dummies.7 For instance, you may be able to hear your spouse perfectly when it’s just the two of you in the kitchen. But in a crowded restaurant, it might be tougher.

“Hearing aids do two things,” says Reed. “They amplify sound where you need it and then make sure that it doesn’t become too loud. In some cases, they compress sound, making soft and difficult sounds easier to hear without increasing loudness.”

He adds that modern hearing aids can do a lot and they have improved dramatically over the last decade. They offer improved clarity, microphones that recognize voices and the ability to sync with a smartphone.

How much do OTC hearing aids cost? 

The decision to make hearing aids available over the counter was made in part to address the high costs.8  That said, OTC hearing aids cover a wide range of price points.

At CVS®, for instance, hearing aids range from about $200 to $1,000. An option like the Lexie B2 Self-fitting OTC Rechargeable Hearing Aids Powered by Bose is highly customizable with a high-quality audio experience.

Out in the rest of the marketplace, many of the more affordable brands are still at least $100.9,10 Some OTC hearing aids can cost much more than $1,000.11  And hearing aid purchases through an audiologist usually run in the thousands of dollars.12

What are some tips for buying OTC hearing aids?

Even though OTC hearing aids don’t require a health care provider, it doesn’t hurt to ask your doctor for advice. Some big questions they might lead you to ask include:

  • Does the package say “over-the-counter hearing aid”? If it doesn’t, the device doesn’t comply with FDA regulations and may not be a hearing aid at all, according to Nicholas Reed. It may be a personal sound amplification device, which cannot do all the things that a hearing aid can to improve hearing.
  • Is there a warranty and return period? And it’s hopefully at least 45 days, adds Meaghan Reed. Some people cannot adjust to wearing the devices.
  • Does it say “self-fitting”? “This is key for consumers,” says Nicholas Reed, because it means that the hearing aid company undertook clinical trials, which “proved that a consumer can end up with results as good as an audiologist or a hearing professional can provide. It means they went to the trouble of doing extra testing.” 

How do I pick the best OTC hearing aids for me?

OTC hearing aids are only for mild to moderate hearing loss. There is no formal definition of those terms, according to Meaghan Reed.13 She explains it usually fits someone who hears perfectly fine in a quiet environment but can’t hear well in a noisy room or if someone turns away while they’re speaking.

You can take an online hearing test on the CVS website.

The best hearing aid for you depends on many factors, including which type best fits your style and needs. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Will it connect with a smartphone? If you are savvy with smartphones, this can be a real game changer. After buying the hearing aids, you will need to download an app. It might help you adjust levels, find a misplaced hearing aid and stream audio from calls. Note that some hearing aids may be iPhone or Android compatible.
  • Is it rechargeable or battery-powered? Rechargeable options tend to cost more. Other models will require you to replace hearing aid batteries from time to time.
  • Does the style match your life? For a hearing aid to work, it needs to be something you’d wear. That means answering questions about what you’re most comfortable with. Would you be OK with a set that sits behind your ear, or would you prefer a less detectable device that fits in your ear? And some hearing aids look like Bluetooth headphones — do you want a device that protrudes from your ear?

There are some considerations for small devices. “The smaller the hearing aids, sometimes the easier it is for whistling or feedback to occur,” notes Meaghan Reed. “And some of the very smallest in-the-ear hearing aids, while the most discreet looking, may not have the best features to address noise.” Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from a pharmacist or other health care professional.

Do hearing aids help with tinnitus?

There is no cure for tinnitus or ringing in the ears.14 But hearing aids can help some people deal with its effects. “By adding more sound into their world, some hearing aids can kind of mask the sound in people’s ears and help them better cope with the tinnitus,” says Meaghan Reed. “Some hearing aids also have sound management programs that allow users to turn up sound when they are excessively bothered by their tinnitus.”

When should I see a doctor about hearing aids?

A lot of hearing loss factors may point to a doctor’s visit, explains Meaghan Reed. They include:

  • If you cannot hear at all
  • Drainage
  • Dizziness
  • Ear pain 
  • Hearing better in one ear over the other
  • Tinnitus

In these cases, you should be medically evaluated to make sure that no other related conditions need to be treated or managed.

It might also be worthwhile to see a doctor before you purchase a hearing aid, Meaghan Reed adds, to ensure that your hearing loss is not caused by any other factors, such as excessive fluid or wax buildup from a cold or some other problem.

And according to Nicholas Reed, once you purchase the OTC hearing aids and wear them regularly, it might be worth seeing an audiologist or ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, who can confirm the device’s fit and offer additional hearing tests if they’re not working properly.

*This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult your health care provider before taking any vitamins or supplements and prior to beginning or changing any health care practices.