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I Compared 5 Hearing Aids by What They Cost. The Cheapest Was Also the Easiest to Use.
The five pairs I compared cost between $389 and $1,195. I put them side by side so you can see what each one asks of you, and what you get for the money.
By Carol Whitfield, Hearing Health Writer
Last Updated Oct 2026 | 6 min read
Price
The 3 Things
Top 5
Why a Low Price Isn't the Same as a Good Deal
When you search for cheap hearing aids, you want one thing: to pay less. That makes sense. In this comparison, one pair costs $1,195 and another costs $389.
But a low price on its own tells you very little. A cheaper pair can still cost you in other ways: an app to learn, or a setup you do alone.
So I looked at what you really get for the money. I wrote down what each of five popular pairs costs, what comes with it and what it's like to live with.
One of them cost the least and asked the least of me.
The 3 Things That Decide Whether a Cheap Hearing Aid Is Worth It
1.
Price: What You Pay for the Pair
Start with the number, then ask what comes with it. Is the price for a pair or for one hearing aid? Is shipping free? Is your first setup session included, or is it extra? A price that looks low can climb quickly once you add the things that should have been included.
2.
Everyday Controls: Can You Adjust It Yourself?
Some hearing aids need an app. The real test is simple: can you turn the volume up yourself, right now, with no phone in your hand?
3.
Setup Help: Will Someone Walk You Through It?
The first few weeks decide whether a hearing aid gets worn or ends up in a drawer. Look for real help at the start, like a setup appointment with an actual person.
Top 5 Hearing Aids, Compared on Price and Everyday Use
I compared the five on the three things above: price, everyday controls and setup help. Each one gets a letter grade. They're my grades, not lab results.
1. Audien Atom X (2nd Gen)
by Audien
A+
Overall Grade
Pros
Touchscreen case: change the volume and modes with a tap
No app, no pairing: nothing to set up on your phone
Four modes: Comfort, Conversation, Crowd and TV
Free Sound Check: 30 minutes with a hearing specialist
Small: sits in the ear canal, 20% smaller than the first Atom X
UV-cleaning case: up to 64 hours of battery with the case
Lowest price here: $389 a pair, with free shipping
45-day risk-free trial: try them at home first
FSA and HSA cards: use health account money you've already set aside
Cons
No Bluetooth (the wireless link to a phone for calls and music): the Atom X Connect adds it for $489
Made for mild to moderate hearing loss
The Verdict:
The Atom X costs the least of the five and asks the least of you. At $389 a pair with free shipping, it comes in at about a third of Jabra's $1,195 entry model.
The charging case has a touchscreen, so you change the volume or the mode with one tap. There's no app and nothing to link to your phone. The four modes are Comfort, Conversation, Crowd and TV, and the screen shows your volume, your mode and your battery.
The second-generation model sits inside your ear canal, and the hearing aids are 20% smaller than the first Atom X. The case holds up to 64 hours of battery and cleans them with UV light while they charge.
Every order comes with a free 30-minute Sound Check, an appointment with a hearing specialist, so you're not on your own that first week. You also get a 45-day risk-free trial, and Audien takes FSA and HSA cards.
The Bottom Line:
The lowest price here, and a case you adjust with a tap instead of an app.
One touchscreen, four modes, a person to help you get set up and 45 days to decide, all for $389 a pair.
Audien hearing aids are for adults 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, meaning you've noticed some trouble hearing but it isn't severe. If you have sudden hearing loss, hearing loss in only one ear, ear pain or dizziness, see a doctor first.
See the Atom X →
2. MDHearing Volt Max 2
by MDHearing
B
Overall Grade
Pros
Custom-fitting technology
Bluetooth compatible: connects to your phone
Free setup appointment: remote, meaning not in person
Cons
Sits behind the ear
$597 a pair
About $200 more than the Atom X
Pay over time through Affirm
The Verdict:
The Volt Max 2 is $597 a pair. It sits behind the ear, uses custom-fitting technology and works with Bluetooth.
For setup, you get a free remote setup appointment, which means it isn't in person. You can also pay over time through Affirm.
The Bottom Line:
It costs about $200 more than the Atom X and it sits behind your ear. The Atom X sits inside the ear canal and you adjust it with a tap on the case.
Grades are my own, based on price, everyday controls and setup help. They are not lab results.
3. Elehear Beyond Pro
by Elehear
B-
Overall Grade
Pros
Bluetooth 5.3: connects to your phone
AI noise reduction: built-in software that works on background noise
Up to 20 hours per charge
Free shipping
Cons
Part of it sits behind the ear, with the receiver in the canal
Your phone is the remote: every adjustment happens in the app
$599 is a sale price
$210 more than the Atom X
Higher models cost up to $799 a pair
The Verdict:
The Beyond Pro is $599 a pair at its sale price. A small unit sits behind your ear, and a tiny speaker, called the receiver, sits in your ear canal.
It connects over Bluetooth 5.3, has AI noise reduction and runs through the Elehear app, so your phone becomes the remote. You get up to 20 hours per charge, a 45-day trial and a 1-year warranty.
The Bottom Line:
It costs $210 more than the Atom X, and every change happens on your phone. With the Atom X, you just tap the case.
Grades are my own, based on price, everyday controls and setup help. They are not lab results.
4. Vivtone Xpure Bluetooth
by Vivtone
C+
Overall Grade
Pros
Bluetooth: connects to your phone
In-app hearing test: you take it on your phone to fit it yourself
Free shipping
Cons
Fitted through an app, and adjusted there too
$549 is a 24-hour flash sale price
$160 more than the Atom X
Support is online
The Verdict:
The Xpure Bluetooth is $549 a pair, and that is a 24-hour flash sale price. The receiver sits in your ear canal, and it connects over Bluetooth.
You fit it yourself in Vivtone's app, starting with a hearing test on your phone. It runs up to 24 hours per charge, with a 45-day trial and a 12-month warranty.
The Bottom Line:
It adds Bluetooth for $160 more than the Atom X, but everything from the first fitting to every later change goes through the app. With the Atom X, a hearing specialist helps you start and a tap on the case does the rest.
Grades are my own, based on price, everyday controls and setup help. They are not lab results.
5. Jabra Enhance Select M1
by Jabra
C
Overall Grade
Pros
Video appointments: your appointments happen over video
3-year warranty on the M1
Financing offered: pay over time, with rates from 0% APR
More than one model: the range goes up to $1,995
Cons
$1,195 a pair for the cheapest model, up to $1,995 across the range
$195 deductible to replace a lost or damaged aid
Financing rates up to 34.99% APR: APR is the yearly interest rate
Pitched for TV and quieter places
The Verdict:
Jabra Enhance Select starts at $1,195 a pair. The range goes up to $1,995.
The M1 is aimed at TV and quieter places. Your appointments happen over video.
It comes with a 3-year warranty. If you lose or damage a hearing aid, replacing it means paying a $195 deductible, which is the fee you pay before it's replaced. Financing runs from 0% to 34.99% APR.
The Bottom Line:
The priciest pair of the five by a wide margin: the M1 alone costs about three times as much as the Atom X. The Atom X gives you a touchscreen case and a free Sound Check for $389.
Grades are my own, based on price, everyday controls and setup help. They are not lab results.
The Clear Winner for Anyone Who Wants to Pay Less: Audien Atom X
After comparing all five, one pair cost the least and was the easiest to live with:
The lowest price of the five ($389 a pair, free shipping)
A touchscreen case where you change the volume and the mode
No app and no pairing, so nothing to set up on your phone
A free 30-minute Sound Check with a hearing specialist
Hearing aids that sit in the ear canal, 20% smaller than the first Atom X, in a UV-cleaning case
A 45-day risk-free trial
FSA and HSA cards accepted
That pair is the Audien Atom X.
Why the Atom X Is Different
Some of the pairs I looked at run through an app on your phone. The Atom X moves that job to the case.
The Atom X goes the other way. It takes things off your plate.
That's why it came out on top for me. It costs the least, and a hearing specialist helps you get started. After that, a tap on the case is all it takes.
See the Atom X →
The Bottom Line
If you're looking for cheap hearing aids, don't stop at the price tag.
Look at what comes with it, like the controls and the setup help.
Paying less is easy. The Atom X is the one here that let me pay less without giving up the basics.
Try the Atom X Risk-Free for 45 Days →
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#1 Audien Atom X