5 Of The Best Hearing Aid Brands (And 5 Of The Worst), According To Consumer Reports

Buying a hearing aid is one of the most personal and consequential decisions a person has to make in their lives, and yet the industry remains frustratingly opaque about the differences in quality between brands. It’s not easy to gauge differences between individual products either.

Hearing aids combine medical device functions with highly individualized performance, while also accounting for hearing loss patterns, lifestyle needs, personal preferences, and a buyer’s ear anatomy. All that to say that this creates the perfect storm for predatory marketing, inflated pricing, and brands that will prioritize bottom lines over actual patient outcomes. 

In its most recent look at the industry, Consumer Reports has evaluated no less than 20 different hearing aid brands across 10 categories, giving them scores in each category between one and five, as a well as cumulative overall scores. Some of the parameters included comfort, sound clarity, battery, reliability, ease of cleaning, durability, and, of course, value. The company collected feedback from over 13,000 different individuals to make these assessments, and the ranking that resulted from them. Based on that, we’ve compiled a list of the five best and five worst brands on the market.

The survey does not specify individual models, which is why we aren’t making any specific recommendations. However, knowing which brands are genuinely good, and which are just famous as a result of captive marketing, could save both money and peace of mind. 

First up, we have Philips, a company that got the highest overall score out of the 20 brands from the Consumer Reports survey. At time of writing, Philips has 17 different hearing aid models on offer, each available in a variety of colors. Broadly, there are three main model lines, called the HearLink 30, HearLink 40, and HearLink 50, respectively. Each model would then be further split into either ITE, or BTE; which stand for in-the-ear and behind-the-ear, respectively. Some models offer Bluetooth connectivity, while others use telecoils (small copper coils inside hearing aids that basically function as antennae to receive, amplify, and transmit sound). 

The entirety of the Philips HearLink range of hearing aids is prescription-only, likely because these are highly specialized devices that need to be tailored to the person using them. While pricing data varies, Philips hearing aids sell for between $900 for a lower-end telecoil model, all the way up to $1,500-plus for Bluetooth-enabled high-end ones. Interestingly, Philips hearing aids are also available for purchase at big box stores like Costco. There’s really not much to be said here, as Philips was the highest-scoring brand on the list, meaning they did pretty well.

Like Philips, Jabra offers three main product lines, the first of which is the Jabra Enhance Select, which is sort of its entry-level line. The next step up is the Jabra Enhance Pro; which is a mid-tier offering available as either receiver-in-ear, behind-the-ear, and custom fit models. And finally, the cream of the lineup comes is the Jabra Enhance Max, though it has a number of similarities to the Enhance Pro line. 

First though, the entry-level Enhance Select is intended for mild hearing loss to moderate hearing loss, and is completely a receiver-in-ear design. Pricing starts at $1,195, and there are three different “tiers” available within the lineup. This range of hearing aids is available solely on JabraEnhance.com; at least according to Jabra’s website. 

The Enhance Pro line of hearing aids starts from $1,699, has no tiers, and is available in behind-the-ear, receiver-in-ear, and fully custom configurations. Then we have the Jabra Enhance Max, which is only available in a super-power behind-the-ear configuration, and also begins at $1,699. While the Enhance Select is fitted and serviced through the website, the Enhance Pro and Enhance Max devices get in-store servicing and fitting at Costco stores. The Enhance Pro is for mild-to-profound hearing loss, while the Max is for severe-to-profound hearing loss. The brand also used to produce a now-discontinued line called the Jabra Enhance Plus, which was a discreet device that could not be seen by other people.

Rexton has been in business for over 70 years, so it must be doing something right. The company offers four main lines of hearing aids, the RX Reach, RX Recharge, RX Bicore, and RX Motioncore, respectively. These names can get a bit confusing – they certainly confused us at first glance – so let’s break down what they mean. 

Any model with an “R-Li” in the name means it is rechargeable, and features a lithium-ion battery. Having “BC” on a model means it comes with Bluetooth connectivity, and if a model has “T” in the name, it comes with a telecoil. The suffixes of ITC, IIC, and CIC stand for in the canal, invisible in canal, and completely in canal, respectively. 

We won’t get into specific models, but the Reach, Recharge, Bicore, and Motioncore lines have 10, three, nine, and four models within them specifically. Of these 26 different models, only the Reach and Bicore ranges offer “rugged” versions for sports and outdoorsy activities. The Reach line is arguably the brand’s flagship, with multi-voice focus and location-specific amplification. The Recharge line’s main feature is (surprise!) easy rechargeability. The Bicore models’ main claim to fame is the ability to process background noise and speech independently; while Motioncore is Rexton’s entry-level lineup equipped with motion sensors. There are too many models to get into individually, but pricing usually starts around $1,499.

In 2026, Phonak offers 16 different models through four main product lines at the time of writing, with older models like the Phonak Audio Paradise being discontinued. The three main categories it sells are behind-the-ear, receiver-in-canal, and in-the-ear hearing aids; and certain models can also account for tinnitus. The most basic is the Phonak Paradise range of hearing aids, which has available Bluetooth connectivity, accounts for speech-while-moving, and has noise cancellation. 

The next step up would be the Phonak Lumity, which until about two years ago was the best option money could buy from the brand. Lumity models from Phonak use artificial intelligence in their noise cancellation, to decide which sounds to amplify and which to suppress. As a key feature, the Lumity range of hearing aids can play back audio from dual Bluetooth-connected devices at the same time. The next tier would be the Infinio, which is currently the brand’s flagship range. 

Like the Lumity, streaming at the same time from dual Bluetooth sources is an option, and it also uses AI noise suppression. There’s also the Phonak Lyric, which is a disposable, completely-in-canal hearing aid that is placed in by a professional, and replaced every four months or so. It’s worth mentioning that only the Paradise and Lumity lines have a 100% waterproof option available. The Paradise and Lumity models are available as receiver-in-canal only, while the Infinio can be had as receiver-in-canal, in-the-ear, and for one-sided hearing.

Oticon is the last of the “best” brands on our list, and it doesn’t lag too far behind Philips. As time of writing, Oticon offers 66 different hearing aid models for sale, through eight main, distinct product lines. The Oticon Intent range of models is its flagship offering, featuring adaptive sensors for amplification while moving, noise cancellation, and also uses AI in several of its technologies. 

The rechargeability of the Intent models is truly something that needs to be talked about, as 60 minutes of charging can get users up to 16 hours of use from the devices. Many models also support Bluetooth, including Auracast, which is a free Bluetooth upgrade that some people can now access on their Android phones. 

We won’t cover every single Oticon product line, as there as several for specialized use cases, but the other notable one is the Oticon Zeal. It is an extremely recent launch, having come out toward the end of January, 2026, and is an in-the-ear hearing aid. 

Touted to be an invisible hearing aid (to observers), the Zeal is the second-generation of Oticon products to use AI to help with functionality, and reviews say it’s quite a performant hearing aid. The Zeal line also comes with the exact same hardware (and technologies) as the Oticon Intent — the flagship range — so it’s insane that the Zeal is completely invisible. Also insane is the price, which starts at around $5,000.

The first of the worst hearing aid brands, according to the Consumer Reports survey, is Audibel. Currently, 24% of Audibel’s ratings on TrustPilot are one-star ones, which means that roughly one in every four customers was completely unsatisfied with their purchase. If we include the two and three-star reviews, this number becomes 36%, meaning roughly one in three people aren’t happy with their Audibel hearing aids. User complaints range from the customer service, to the initial purchase experience, the warranty process, and various bugs with the hearing aids themselves. Certain users also complain of issues with the controls on some models, and the app is a pain point for many, too. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Audibel is one of the few major hearing aid players that doesn’t sell its ranges and products through Costco, which could be either a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective. Instead, the company opts to sell its (quite pricey, admittedly) hearing aids through a network of third-party specialty stores and retailers across the country. Another frustrating fact that we’ve found during our research is that Audibel doesn’t advertise any prices on its website — it seems like contacting an authorized professional is the only way to get a quote for an Audibel hearing aid. However, based on third-party reports and reviews, the price for an Audibel would be around $4,000 for higher-end models.

Miracle Ear sells its aids for between $1,500 and $7,000 through more than 1,500 offices. Before we give you more information, we should mention that Miracle Ear only had nine consumer ratings on TrustPilot at time of writing; but of those nine; eight were one-star reviews. That works out to the company having 89% of one-star reviews, and 11% of five-star ones. It’s pretty surprising to see no “average” ratings (like three-star ones), and normally we would assume that this is because of the low sample size, but on Consumer Affairs, the company fares even worse. Across more than 3,100 reviews, it only managed a 2.2-star rating. 

The main issues that crop up include poor customer service, issues with product delivery, not being able to schedule appointments and fittings properly, and that the hearing aids seem to fail more frequently than they should. While the majority of those complaints have to do with the brand network and coverage, the fact that there have been dozens of complainants who cite durability and product life as issues raises some major red flags. This is especially worrying since many of the people complaining of these issues dropped thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars on these aids, sometimes on multiple sets. They should at least be granted their expectation that the product will work beyond the first couple years.

It might be surprising to see such a globally recognized company name in the “worst” section, but here we are. Almost a decade ago, the company spun off its hearing aids business into a separate brand called “Signia”, cutting it off from its other consumer electronics product lines. Now, Signia hearing aids are offered across roughly four product lines (IX, AX, X, and some customs), through about 18 individual models.

The company offers RIE, BTE, and CIC styles of hearing aids, and pricing for the various assorted models begins at a reasonable $650-ish. However, as you ascend the hierarchy, prices can quickly skyrocket, especially for two-device setups on something like the Signia Charge&Go X. On TrustPilot, Signia has 23 reviews, of which 0% are five or four-star reviews, and 78% are one-star, with the remainder being two and three-star ratings. 

Another TrustPilot page, called Signia Danmark, has 3.6 stars, with 43% of 169 reviews being one, two, or three-star ones. On Consumer Affairs, Signia once again has painfully low ratings, coming in at an average of one-star, across an admittedly low 41 reviews. These ratings and numbers could be different depending on when you’re reading this article. Also, just as with Audibel from earlier, Signia has extremely opaque pricing, and forces buyers to go with local retailers and specialists for purchasing the products.

Widely considered to the the biggest competitor to Miracle Ear, which we covered above, Beltone is another huge hearing aid brand that doesn’t score well in the Consumer Reports survey. On TrustPilot, Beltone only has three reviews. However, on Consumer Affairs the company shows up as quite mediocre, only managing to net 3.4 stars out of a total possible of five. 

Of the 704 reviews live at the time of writing, 201 were either one, two, or three-starred ratings. A full 127 reviews were one-star ones, with customers bemoaning things like malfunctioning products that fail within just a few months of purchase, the high purchase price of the hearing aids, and the general state of getting appointments and deliveries from Beltone. 

At the moment, Beltone offers three different hearing aids, named Commerce, Boost Max S, and Envision, respectively. Of these, the Beltone Commerce is its entry-level range, priced between $2,300 and $3,000; while the Beltone Boost Max S is its mid-tier offering, coming in at around the $7,000 price point. 

The latter is also touted to be the world’s smallest hearing aid in its class that is also rechargeable. The brand’s top of the line offering is the $4,500 (entry-level) Beltone Envision, and, like many other products that we’ve covered so far, also happens to use AI in several aspects. Beltone currently offers RIE, IIC, ITC, CIC, and BTE hearing aids.

The MDHearing product range encompasses six different products across three model lines, with prices generally falling between $400 and $600 (non-clinic pricing). However, it does offer some cheaper options (though these are mostly over-the-counter hearing aid models), such as the Neo, which begins at quite a reasonable price point of $197. The two main model ranges are the MDHearing Neo XS pro and the MDHearing Volt, as these are available with both dual-directional mics and Bluetooth capabilities. 

All of the brand’s models are rechargeable, though buyers should take careful note of which ones come with a portable charging case. The battery life on most tends to fall between 15 to 25 hours of use, meaning that if someone forgets to charge them overnight, they might not last the full second day of use. 

Then, if someone is out and about, and the model doesn’t have a portable charging case, buyers would have to wait until they get home to charge their hearing aid. There were significantly fewer reviews for MDHearing than for some of the other brands on this list. On TrustPilot, the brand had 2.5 stars across 15 ratings, with the majority being one-star reviews. On Consumer Affairs, the company fared much worse, with a single-star rating from 180 reviews, with customers complaining mainly of the functionality and customer service.

First, we took a long look at each of the 10 categories that the Consumer Reports survey measured these 20 hearing aid brands on. We sorted the top five and the bottom five, and used those as our “best” and “worst” brands, respectively. We didn’t focus too much on the individual scores themselves, as we found those to be synthetic data. Instead, for the “best” brands, we looked at product catalogs, model lines, and highlighted the best features of each, based on documentation available on the respective brands’ website. For the “worst” brands, we aimed to look for the pain points customers face – as the “worst” brands were often more economically priced. 

So, if we covered the problems, and people decided that was something they could live with, maybe that could be a smart way to save some money. To find customer sentiment, we aggregated reviews from TrustPilot, Consumer Affairs, and Google Reviews, and we also looked at hearing-specific online forums, and chat boards like Reddit. We made sure that each issue we listed was recurring, and not just a one-off that could have been caused by a bad set of hearing aids. Where pricing data was not available on the website of the manufacturing company, we sourced it from trusted third-party reviewers, or editorial sources like Wired, Healthline, and Forbes.