An internet search using the search term “hearing aids” in 2025 will provide you with an abundance of options, ranging in price from less than $100 to several thousand dollars.
Before I help you discover the best solution to address your hearing challenges, I want to congratulate you on taking a major step in the right direction. You have already recognized you have some challenges with your hearing and you are willing to take action.
Unfortunately, being inundated by choices makes choosing the right option frustrating. Take a deep breath and consider that treating your hearing loss is an investment into your future.
With this blog post, I want to help you make an informed choice by providing the information you need regarding treatment for your hearing challenges in 2025 and beyond.
Factors to Consider
There are no “one-size-fits-all” solutions when it comes to treating your hearing challenges. Hearing loss affects everyone in a different way, so the solution must always address your unique needs.
There are several factors that can determine how you will meet your better hearing goals. Here a several questions to help guide your choice:
- What hearing challenges am I experiencing?
- How severe is my hearing loss?
- Can I handle this on my own or do I want/need professional support?
- How important is local, in-person support to me?
- What priority do I place on the price of my treatment?
Armed with the answers from these questions, you will have a better idea of which treatment options truly fit your needs.
OTC and Non-Prescription Treatment Options in 2025
Let’s start by putting things into perspective. Over-the-counter (OTC) and non-prescription options are like purchasing a magnifying glass or reading glasses to read, and then expecting them to perform like prescription lenses.
In addition, the treatment solutions in this category lack support from a hearing care professional—the best you can hope for is customer service support that is not provided locally.
Lastly, non-prescription and OTC treatment options are only intended to address mild to moderate hearing loss, which brings up an important question.
What is mild to moderate hearing loss?
Mild hearing loss is characterized by having difficulty understanding conversations when there is background noise but being otherwise able to enjoy one-on-one conversations. A hearing deficiency of 25 to 39 decibels (dB) below normal is the typical measurement of this level of severity.
Moderate hearing loss shows a measured deficiency, between 40 and 69 dB below normal hearing. Those experiencing this level of hearing loss have to ask others to repeat themselves on a regular basis, especially when talking on a phone, in addition to struggling to hear in a noisy environment.
Earbuds With a Cell Phone App
The least expensive treatment option, this option involves the use of your smartphone, a smartphone app, and a pair of earbuds to provide amplification in certain environments. It may use technology you already own or may require the purchase of higher quality earbuds.
This is a big step in the right direction if you are looking for a budget solution. This option includes the Apple Airpods Pro2 technology we have discussed in previous blog posts. Priced at $250, Apple’s Airpods Pro 2 with Hearing Aid Mode is by far the most advanced solution in this category and comes with features like voice isolation, hearing tests, and hearing protection.
Other earbuds are cheaper, but to get features like background noise control, enhanced speech, reducing own-voice amplification, and others, you will have to pay $60 or more for a year’s subscription to the app, and you won’t get the same quality as Apple provides.
With this option, you get no professional support from a local hearing care provider.
PSAPs (Personal Sound Amplification Products)
Technically, PSAPs are not classified as hearing aids. They are an amplification tool designed to amplify the sounds around you in specific environments.
You won’t need a hearing test or prescription to buy them, but customization is limited and they tend to amplify all sounds equally. Priced between $79 and $1250, they are designed to address specific situations, like watching TV, listening to lectures, or taking tours.
Rather than being regulated by the FDA, they are regulated by consumer organizations (the same ones that regulate electric razors and other electronic gadgets).
OTC Hearing Aids
Though actually classified as hearing aids, over-the-counter hearing aids are not the same as prescription hearing aids. They are strictly designed for—and limited to—addressing mild to moderate hearing loss in accordance with FDA guidelines.
These hearing aids cost between $800 and $2500 and are quick and convenient to buy without a hearing test by a hearing care professional. This hearing solution would be like a special class of eyeglasses that were not designed just for reading but still lack prescription lenses.
Prescription Treatment Options for Hearing Loss in 2025
One of the main benefits of prescription hearing aids is that they address the entire range of hearing loss severities, from mild to profound, and they are certified and regulated by the FDA.
The hearing treatment solutions in this category require a prescription from a hearing care professional, which means they require a hearing test and/or consultation with a certified hearing care provider.
Another advantage is personalization, though the level of accuracy will depend on the type of provider. Warranties, troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair are among the standard support services for prescription hearing aids.
The type and level of personalized, professional support you receive will vary from one type of provider to another.
Hearing Solutions From Big-Box Retail Stores
This is among the most popular solutions in this category because of the convenience of having your hearing treated in a place where you already shop.
For a price between $1250 and $4000, this solution has some positives in that you have access to prescription hearing aids from a reputable manufacturer and personal assistance in the hearing aid center inside your local Costco, Sam’s Club, or other large retail chain store.
An in-person hearing evaluation from a hearing care professional is included, along with fitting and some basic programming adjustments. However, programming tends to follow commonly used gain and sloping targets for people within your general category of hearing loss.
Your hearing aids will be covered by a loss/damage/replacement warranty and you will have access to technical support and repair services, but your experience will more closely resemble retail customer service than a local personalized service model.
Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aids
Not quite as popular, but similar in how your hearing challenges are addressed, this treatment option is appealing because of its online convenience. You will have your hearing tested online and your hearing aids will be preprogrammed and sent to you.
These devices come from brand name manufacturers but are preprogrammed to address commonly used gain and sloping hearing loss targets for people with the same level of hearing loss as you have.
In modern computer jargon, this is essentially a “plug and play” treatment solution.
Programming adjustments are made by a hearing care professional via a cell phone app and/or remote programming. Though provided by a hearing care professional, your support will likely come from a different person each time you call, and they won’t be someone local.
The price range for this treatment option is around $1850–$2400 and you are likely to only get a money-back guarantee rather than a one- to three-year loss/repair/replacement warranty.
Hearing Care From a Local Professional
You are likely to invest more using this treatment option than any of the others, though at $2500–$7500, it is still competitive. However, in terms of the value received for your investment, none of the others come close.
The other treatment options we discussed focus on the purchase of a device to help you hear better. In contrast, a local hearing care professional is ready to explore all of the possible causes, treatment options, and successful outcomes to address your unique hearing challenges, instead of assuming that you need a hearing aid from the get-go.
Your comprehensive hearing assessment will be conducted by a hearing care professional and include a physical examination of your ears to rule out obstructions, inflammation, and other hearing loss causes that hearing aids are not designed to address.
Your hearing assessment will identify the severity of any hearing loss and provide the programming data to personalize your hearing aids to address your specific needs. You will have access to a broad selection of the industry’s best hearing aid technology from the world’s best hearing aid manufacturers.
Ongoing adjustments, often using real-ear sound mapping, are a part of standard follow-up care with this option, and most local hearing care providers also provide value added services like:
- Personalized counseling while you acclimate to your hearing aids
- Deep cleaning
- Maintenance
- Repair
- Troubleshooting
- Tinnitus support
- Insurance evaluation and claim filing
- Earwax removal
- Ongoing testing to evaluate hearing aid performance
- Three- to five-year loss/damage/replacement warranties
In addition to these services, only a local hearing care professional can provide you with access to advanced treatment options beyond hearing aids, like electronic (cochlear) implants to address profound hearing loss that hearing aids fail to address.
Where Do You Go From Here?
We are thrilled that you have already recognized that you have hearing challenges and are taking the next step by seeking treatment, so we respect whatever choice you make.
As you explore the options for addressing your hearing challenges in 2025, all we ask is that you look deeper than price and convenience when choosing an option for a treatment that can have a profound impact on your overall health and quality of life.
In reality, the device you choose is only a tool to help you hear better, while professional hearing care shows you how to use and get the most out of that tool to achieve your better hearing objectives.
Learn more about the treatment options we have available or find out what comprehensive hearing care looks like at North Houston Hearing Solutions. Contact us online or give us a call at (346) 482-4100 today!
