
If you are shopping for hearing aids on a budget, two names come up more than any others: MDHearing and Audien. Both sell direct to consumers, both are FDA-registered OTC brands, and both promise to cut the clinic markup out of the equation. But they take very different approaches. Audien’s headline is a $99 price…

MDHearing has been selling affordable hearing aids online since long before OTC hearing aids were a regulatory category. The Chicago-based company built its reputation on a simple idea: cut out the clinic markup, sell direct, and support customers by phone and video instead of in person. With the VOLT 4 now listed at $397 a…