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Hear.com's Horizon Mini IX Completely-in-Canal (CIC) and Horizon Go IX Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
hear.com is an established online portal for gaining access to in-person or over-the-counter hearing solutions, with or without telecare, at prices ranging from $299 to $6,500. Their hearing aid technology offerings include products from some of the world's best manufacturers, as well as some solid over-the-counter options through their sister company, SoundBright.
Buying hearing aids online can be risky. If you’re new to the game, it can be hard to navigate the many hearing device scams populating search results. But hear.com is legit. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the company, its products, technology, and pricing, and help you decide whether it’s the best choice for you.
hear.com is a hearing care company with a mission “to bring quality hearing care to anyone, anywhere—independent of lifestyle, budget, or geographic location.” It does this by connecting you to either a licensed hearing care provider or through an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid model with the option of telecare.
hear.com is the U.S. equivalent of audibene, a provider of hearing care products and services in Europe. Audibene was founded in Germany by Marco Vietor and Paul Crusius in 2012, and has since expanded into 8 countries under the hear.com and audibene brands. In 2015, the company entered into a strategic partnership and investment agreement with Sivantos (now WS Audiology), one of the world's largest hearing aid manufacturers and the maker of Signia, Widex, and Rexton brands.
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Audibene/hear.com founders Paul Crusius and Marco Vietor. (Source: hear.com.)
Similar to TruHearing, hear.com provides hearing care services through a network of US-based hearing care “partners”—hear.com’s current partner network includes over 2,000 state-licensed providers. hear.com also offers a complete tele-health journey to serve customers in even the most remote areas of the United States with medical-grade hearing aid technology.
hear.com assesses your hearing needs with an online questionnaire, and a hearing consultant will then call you from a local number to schedule a hearing aid trial. They will pair you with a local or remote care provider and chaperone the hearing care process until you are successfully fitted with hearing aids. Once fitted, you have 45 days to test your hearing aids and decide whether you want to keep them.
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After attracting customers and consulting with them, hear.com guides them through the hearing aid fitting process over the phone and through an in-clinic fitting, tele-audiology session, or OTC self-fit service. (Source: hear.com.)
If you’re not able to visit a hear.com partner clinic in your vicinity, you can opt for the company’s tele-audiology journey, which is discussed in detail below.
Every journey at hear.com starts with the company’s online questionnaire, which hear.com uses to understand your hearing needs and determine whether or not you qualify for its 45-day no-risk trial. The questionnaire asks about the situations in which you experience difficulty, whether you already wear hearing aids, whether you are looking for any specific features, whether you’ve had your hearing tested, and whether you’ve experienced tinnitus. Further questions explore your employment status, credit score, insurance coverage, and whether you may have access to military or federal employee programs.
Assuming not everyone would qualify, HearingTracker has answered the questionnaire with a variety of different responses, including being unemployed and having a poor credit rating. While not everyone will qualify for medical-grade hearing aids, the survey will recommend a phone consultation with hear.com.
A hear.com consultant will call you within 15 minutes. They will collect additional information, help you decide which hearing devices may be best for your lifestyle and budget, pick a local provider, and schedule an all-in-one appointment to fit your hearing aids. Should you not qualify for medical-grade hearing aids, the consultant will offer you the company’s more affordable direct-to-consumer hearing aids from SoundBright.
Currently, we have added a verification step in the phone consultation. That means we decide together with the customer in the call whether we pursue hear.com or SoundBright services. With the launch of OTC in the United States, we have seen an increased need for a phone consultation based on the wider array of options in the market overall.”
— Hanna Leupolz, hear.com
The phone consultation takes up to 25 minutes, and you should be ready to share additional medical and insurance details.
SoundBright is a hear.com-operated website and service that carries more affordable direct-to-consumer (DTC) hearing aids, mainly from Signia.
With its DTC service, hear.com serves customers who are not in a position to fund hearing care that involves a professional hearing instrument specialist or audiologist, said hear.com's Hanna Leupolz in a conversation with HearingTracker.
People who choose to proceed without a phone consultation can book their appointment online after completing the initial questionnaire. However, if this is your first hearing aid, we strongly recommend that you speak with one of hear.com’s consultants. They can help you sort out insurance and payment details and ensure you’re choosing the best hearing aid for your situation.
Following your initial consultation, all you have to do is show up for your appointment at hear.com’s local partner clinic. In the meantime, your consultant will have your hearing aids sent to your local care provider.
During the appointment, your local hearing care provider (an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist) may perform a hearing test and real ear measurements (where available), and fit your new hearing aids.
It’s also possible that your local hearing provider may decide to recommend a different model. Should their examination reveal that a different device option is a better fit for you, the initial devices may be exchanged. In this case, you’ll have to make an additional appointment for the fitting.
If you request the tele-audiology journey, you will receive a Clinic-in-a-Box instead of making an in-person visit to a professional. The box includes a tablet programmed for your appointment, an otoscope for examining your ears, and your new hearing aids.
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Hear.com's clinic-in-a-box is a telehealth solution for remote hearing aid fittings. (Source: hear.com.)
Prior to your appointment, you’ll receive a call from hear.com’s support team. They will guide you through setting up the tablet for the remote appointment with your hearing care specialist. They can also answer questions about the process. During your appointment, a hearing care specialist will guide you through the remote hearing test and program your hearing aids based on the results.
Hear.com offers a 45-day no-risk trial and money-back guarantee. Throughout the trial period, you’re entitled to an unlimited number of visits with your local or tele-audiology provider. You may need additional visits within that time in case you have issues with or questions about your hearing aids. If you are unhappy with the sound of your hearing aids, adjustments may be required.
hear.com will follow up within the first few days to learn about your initial experience and reinforce your care provider’s recommendations. Your provider may also check in with you at some point. Finally, hear.com offers a Hearing Success Program, a mobile app-based 30-day training course that encourages daily wear and helps you get used to your new hearing devices. The app also gives you access to lifelong video-call support.
Should you choose to return your hearing aids before the end of the trial period, hear.com will refund you for the hearing aids.
Following the trial, hear.com offers a 3-year warranty on your hearing aids. The warranty period includes up to five free follow-up visits with your hearing provider, who will perform a professional cleaning of your hearing aids and provide you with free replacement parts (e.g., domes or cleaning tools). You’ll get three free visits if you go with a lower-tier tech and five free visits if you pick a higher-tier tech. If your hearing is likely to fluctuate or deteriorate rapidly, or if you think you may need more frequent personal assistance, you may want to purchase a product with more free visits.
Although hear.com may be in partnership with WS Audiology, the company works with every major hearing aid manufacturer and insurance plan. The price of your hearing aids depends on several factors, including the model and performance tech level you choose, how much your insurance covers, where your care provider is located, and whether you opt for financing.
Brands: Signia, Oticon, Phonak, Starkey, Widex, ReSound, Rexton, Unitron, Sony, SoundBright, and Horizon (hear.com’s in-house models).
Insurances: Cigna, United Healthcare, Humana, BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, and special programs with Centene, AvMed, CVS Health, Anthem, HCSC, and Molina Healthcare.
When you take hear.com’s initial questionnaire, your answers determine the starting point for the hear.com consultant to understand which tech level may be the best option for you.
hear.com offers three different pricing “solutions”:
Independent of the selected solution, hear.com will work with your health insurance and financing preferences to develop a pricing plan that is manageable within your needs.
Prices range from $299 for a pair of pre-programmed OTC devices to $6,500 for medical-trade hearing aids with premium technology. Insurance discounts and promotions can lead to significantly lower pricing.
We offer top quality solutions at every performance level and relevant price point. Hearing care needs to vary significantly across different consumer segments. We aim to find the right solution for every consumer.”
— Hanna Leupolz, hear.com
hear.com sells all the major hearing aid brands, but note that hear.com and audibene are owned by WS Audiology, the same company that manufactures Signia, Widex, and Rexton hearing aids. Hear.com and audibene provide a unique opportunity to position WSA-manufactured devices for mass appeal—in 2023 alone, the websites attracted 150 million “web visits,” according to hear.com.
In early 2024, hear.com launched a new line of hear.com hearing aids under the brand name “hear.com Horizon.” The line includes two new models, Go IX and Mini IX, which appear to be similar to Signia Charge&Go IX and Signia Silk Charge&Go IX, respectively.
hear.com Horizon Go IX is a receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid, meaning the main body sits behind the ear, and a thin transparent wire leads to a miniature receiver (speaker) located in the ear. Since its processing unit is larger than models that fit inside the ear canal, it packs additional features, offers a more natural sound, and most people find it more comfortable.
The Go IX offers lithium-ion rechargeability, Bluetooth connectivity, audio streaming with iOS and Android devices, dual sound processors, multi-beam technology, hands-free calling, and a stylish design. What sets the Go IX (and all "Integrated Xperience, or IX devices) apart from other RIC hearing aids is it processes speech and noise in separate channels to improve speech clarity and is capable of "locking onto" a moving speaker in a dynamic listening situation.
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The hear.com Horizon Go IX with charger.
The hear.com Horizon Go IX is a great hearing aid for active people with mild to severe hearing loss. With 28 hours of battery life it will last you all day, and the portable charging case adds extra hours when you’re on the go. The hearing aid’s IP68 rating means you don’t have to worry about sweat, rain, or temporary submersion in water. While you can pick this hearing aid in one of four neutral colors (beige, black, silver, or sandy brown) that will let it blend in with your skin or hair, it’s small enough to barely be visible behind your ear.
hear.com Horizon Mini IX is one of the world's first rechargeable completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids—an extremely small, discreet option. Like the Go IX, the Mini IX uses the Signia "Integrated Xperience” platform to deliver brilliant sound and maximum comfort, according to hear.com. In terms of technology, it is comparable to the Signia Silk IX.
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The hear.com Horizon Mini IX.
The hear.com Horizon Mini IX is controlled via a smartphone app, allowing you to adjust volume, boost speech, and activate Relax Mode discreetly. However, it does not offer direct audio streaming like the Go IX. For maximum discretion, it comes in two neutral colors, black and mocha. Since the device fits entirely inside your ear, it's virtually invisible.
The Mini IX is suitable for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss. It's designed to provide the best speech clarity in a small, rechargeable, nearly invisible package. If you're looking for a hearing aid that offers good performance without drawing attention, the hear.com Horizon Mini IX could be a good solution for you.
Besides the name, there are a few key differences between the IX hearing aids offered by Signia and the Horizon AX hearing aids offered by hear.com. Working directly with the engineering team at Signia, hear.com has added 6 unique listening modes designed to serve the needs of its younger, more active customers.
The first mode is “Speech Focus,” which hear.com says helps you “focus on speech that is important to you—even in difficult listening environments such as a busy restaurant.” Speech Focus will provide more mid-frequency gain, fine-tune the directional microphones and increase noise reduction.
The second mode is “Panorama Effect,” which provides a 360-degree listening experience. hear.com says this setting may be useful for outdoor activities such as hiking or jogging or anywhere hearing sounds all around you is beneficial.
The third mode, “Relax Mode,” disables the hearing aid microphones and plays a soothing and peaceful soundscape. It should be noted that Relax Mode is not intended to be a tinnitus masking program, though wearers may choose to use it as such. Separate tinnitus programming features are available within the Horizon IX hearing aids and can be set by your local provider.
To further personalize your listening experience, you can find additional modes in the hear.com Horizon smartphone app.
Horizon IX is available in three unique technology levels, 7IX, 5IX, and 3IX, with each level delivering a unique set of software features to enhance your listening experience. The 7IX level is the most sophisticated and delivers the highest number of processing channels and a 12kHz extended bandwidth (among other things). The lowest level (3IX) is missing certain key features like “Spatial SpeechFocus,” which coordinates the steering of directional microphones to enhance speech. Prices are as follows:
Prices are lower when customers have health plan coverage.
All three Horizon IX technology levels support Speech Focus, Panorama Effect, and Relax Mode through the Horizon smartphone app.
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Screenshots of the hear.com Horizon app from the Apple App Store. The hear.com Horizon app allows you to adjust volume, switch programs, change the directionality of the hearing aids, get help from a hear.com assistant, and more.
Hear.com also offers a completely-in-canal hearing aid option, which is similar to the Signia Silk X. This model runs on Signia’s previous-generation Xperience platform.
The main benefit of hear.com is its efficient process and the “dual-expert” approach—if you choose hear.com, you’ll immediately have a hear.com phone consultant by your side while you work towards connecting with your local (or virtual) care provider. You’ll also have ongoing access to your consultant through the official hear.com app, which is discussed in detail below.
On the other hand, hear.com’s phone consultants aren’t state-licensed healthcare professionals. Hear.com told us that they’re selected based on being caring and good communicators, and previous relevant work experience. While they won’t have the depth of knowledge and clinical experience of a care provider, consultants do receive training on hearing aid technology and general audiology concepts.
In most cases, the device recommendations made by hear.com’s phone consultants end up fitting the needs of the customer, but in some cases, the provider may opt to recommend a different product after a more thorough audiological examination of the customer.
If there is a cause for your hearing loss that requires special treatment, your care provider will refer you to an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor) before fitting you with hearing aids. If you choose the tele-audiology route, hear.com offers the most robust at-home hearing test on the market. A licensed hearing care provider conducts a thorough assessment of your hearing incl. CEDRA questionnaire, pure tone audiometry, otoscopy, speech testing and bone conduction measurements. Your tele-audiology provider will refer you to an ENT if they suspect any underlying medical issues.
According to hear.com, a goal of the consultants is to get you excited and committed to the process—keeping up the momentum and getting you into the office quickly for hearing care.
hear.com maintains an active role in your care—even after you’ve purchased hearing aids—primarily through the hear.com app. The app provides direct access to your hear.com consultant at “any time”, and provides a library of FAQs to help answer common support questions. The app also monitors your hearing aid usage and encourages you to use your hearing aids more frequently, which is one of the keys to succeeding with hearing aids.
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The hear.com app on the App Store.
The hear.com app also provides a convenient hub for scheduling and rescheduling appointments with your local (or tele-audiology) care provider. Appointment reminders are sent through the app, and when it’s time for your appointment, you can get directions on the app as well.
Lastly, the hear.com app provides a wealth of product information about the devices you’ve purchased, including information like:
It should be noted that the hear.com app has a 4.8 out of 5 rating (and over 2.5K ratings) on the App Store — the most highly-rated hearing app that we’ve reviewed. It has a 3.5 rating (with 351 reviews) on Google Play which is still good for hearing aid apps. As with other hearing aid apps, most of the complaints revolve around pairing and intermittent connectivity.
We requested input from hear.com care providers regarding their experiences and received feedback from several current and former network providers. While we received both positive and negative comments, a main point of criticism was that hear.com calls providers and their patients too often. Many noted that the prices weren’t all that competitive and that they could have offered the same or better deals had the patient come to them directly.
One audiologist said that they had patients come to their clinic who were “given incorrect promises about services, recommended the incorrect devices,” and received too many calls from their consultants. Another mentioned they were called halfway into their appointment with a patient referred through hear.com, to check whether the client was going to purchase the aids.
Audiologists appreciate that hear.com competes with online scams and helps people receive legit hearing health care. Several praised hear.com’s efficient case management approach. We also heard that prices are slightly lower than average, and it’s possible to get additional discounts.
While there are some detractors from hear.com, it’s hard to argue that hear.com isn’t providing a positive experience for the vast majority of consumers who purchase through the service. As mentioned, the hear.com smartphone app—which is the hub for ongoing customer service—has thousands of reviews and a 4.8 star rating. And reviews on Trustpilot also reflect positively on hear.com. In April 2024, the site has over 1,300 reviews, 83% of which come with a 5-star “Excellent” rating, with 6% being 1 or 2 stars.
Everything was excellent from the expertise of the audiologist, to the quality of the hearing aid, and the thoroughness and provision of short and long term follow up and assistance for the short and long term with adaptation to and use of aid. Process incredibly user friendly. Warranties good. Honestly an excellent result.”
Ed, a Trustpilot reviewer
While there were a few negative reviews on Trustpilot, it seems that most of them received a response with an attempt to provide resolution from a hear.com representative.
ConsumerAffairs.com gives hear.com a rating of 4.8 (out of 5), 88% being 5-star reviews and only 2% being 1-2 stars (627 reviews).
hear.com’s customer base tends to be younger (by about 7 years) than the average hearing aid customer. As such, they tend to have busier, more active lifestyles. Hear.com tells us that, as a group, their customers are more demanding of fast, efficient, and effective services.
To achieve positive outcomes and consistently good ratings with their more demanding customers, hear.com has deployed a patient success tracking system that measures providers on a variety of metrics. Hear.com says that providers receive training or are removed from the network completely if they fail to produce successful patient outcomes—so its network of providers improves iteratively over time. Hear.com’s ideal network provider has “effective communication skills, a positive attitude, produces good hearing outcomes, and connects with a younger more active demographic.”
To summarize, hear.com is great when you don’t have the time or patience to navigate the hearing health landscape on your own. You will have access to state-of-the-art technology, professional services, and fair prices. What’s more, you could take home perfectly fitted hearing aids within a matter of days and with minimal effort on your end.
On the flipside, you might end up with an over-motivated consultant, and if you are particularly needy in terms of services, you may end up spending more by purchasing hear.com’s more service-limited bundles. Traditional audiologists typically offer unlimited care for 1-3 years, so if you think you may need extra in-person attention, hear.com might not be right for you.
Hear.com isn’t the only company that offers a smooth experience.
If your insurance covers hearing loss, chances are that other third-party providers can handle your hearing healthcare benefits as well. TruHearing is such a third-party managed-care provider, which happens to be part of WS Audiology, the same conglomerate that owns hear.com. TruHearing also offers streamlined purchase process, though you’ll receive an in-person hearing test before the local provider orders your hearing aids.
If in-person care is a priority with you, there are local private audiology and hearing aid specialist offices that often offer a wider product selection from several different manufacturers. Other reputable online websites, including Zip Hearing and Yes Hearing, can connect you to a provider for in-person care. There are also large national hearing aid chains like Beltone, HearUSA, Connect Hearing, Audigy, and Audibel that are owned by global hearing aid manufacturers.
You might also check out big-box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco, which provide in-person care at exceptionally low prices. Costco, like hear.com, offers Signia hearing aid technology under the Rexton brand.
Numerous OTC hearing aids are now available, and some of them are quite good if you have a milder level of hearing loss, including Sennheiser, Jabra Enhance, Lexie, Sony, and Audicus, to name a few.
Also, be sure to check out our resource on affordable hearing aids (that are good).
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Health Writer
Tina Sieber is a technology journalist with over 10 years of experience and a PhD in Biochemistry. Following an episode of sudden one-sided hearing loss, she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 2018. She has since started writing about hearing loss and reviewing hearing aids for major tech publications.
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