Quick Answer: Audicus is a direct-to-consumer OTC hearing aid brand with four current models — Spirit 2 ($1,498/pair, best value), Omni 2 ($1,898/pair, best overall), Ray ($1,998/pair, thinnest design), and Mini 2 ($2,498/pair, most discreet). All ship with a 100-day risk-free trial and a 2-year warranty, and the Omni 2 earned an “A” SoundScore from independent lab HearAdvisor (top 11% of all OTC devices tested). Instead of paying upfront, you can also rent through Audicus Premier starting at $99/month. Audicus is worth it if you want real remote audiology support without a clinic visit; if you’d rather own a similarly capable device for less, the Jabra Enhance Select line is the closest lab-tested alternative.
Audicus has been selling hearing aids directly to consumers online since before the FDA’s 2022 OTC rule made that legal for everyone, which is longer than most of the newer app-only brands crowding this category. Its pitch is a hybrid: a free online hearing assessment instead of a clinic exam, real remote support from Audicus’s own hearing specialists, and — unusually for this space — a subscription option if you’d rather not pay a four-figure sum at once. According to the NIDCD (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders), roughly 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids, and Audicus is one of the more established names competing for that market alongside Jabra Enhance, Lexie, and Eargo. Here’s what its lineup actually costs, how it performs in independent lab testing, and when the subscription makes more sense than buying outright.
Audicus by the numbers
- A-grade SoundScore, 4.32/5 — the rating independent lab HearAdvisor gave the Audicus Omni 2, placing it in the top 11% of all OTC hearing aids tested and ranking #8 out of 61 devices in its category.
- 100 days — Audicus’s risk-free trial window, tying Jabra Enhance for the longest among major OTC brands and well ahead of the 45-day trials common at Eargo, Lexie, and MDHearing.
- $1,498–$2,498 — the outright price range per pair across the four current Audicus models, per audicus.com.
- $99–$119/month — the Audicus Premier subscription cost per pair (Spirit 2 or Omni 2), plus a one-time $249 setup fee, with a free device upgrade every 18 months.
- 2 years, extendable to 3 — the standard Audicus warranty; adding Audicus Protect within the first 100 days ($99 per device) extends coverage to 3 years total with capped repair and loss copays.
Audicus models compared
| Model | Style | Best for | Bluetooth | Price (pair) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omni 2 | Receiver-in-canal (RIC) | Best overall (A-grade lab score) | Yes | $1,898 |
| Spirit 2 | Receiver-in-canal (RIC) | Best value | Yes | $1,498 |
| Ray | Receiver-in-canal (RIC) | Thinnest design (1/4 inch), 5 colors | Yes | $1,998 |
| Mini 2 | Completely-in-canal (CIC) | Most discreet | No | $2,498 |
| Jabra Enhance Select 50R (alt.) | Receiver-in-canal (RIC) | Cheapest lab-tested alternative | Yes | ~$1,195 |
1. Audicus Omni 2 — best overall
Audicus Omni 2
- Smart Speech Finder technology automatically detects noisy environments and focuses on nearby speech, per Audicus.
- Independently lab-tested "A" SoundScore from HearAdvisor — top 11% of all OTC devices, #8 of 61 in its category.
- Bluetooth streaming, wireless charging, and free lifetime remote support with next-business-day appointments.
- Battery or rechargeable option (rechargeable adds about $50/pair).
Because domes, filters, and batteries for whichever aid you choose are worth reordering fast rather than waiting on a slow shipment, it’s worth having Amazon Prime free for 30 days lined up before your Audicus trial starts.
The Omni 2 is Audicus’s best-performing model in independent testing, and the gap isn’t small — an A-grade SoundScore in the top 11% of every OTC device HearAdvisor has run through its lab is a genuinely strong result, backed by back-to-back Expert’s Choice awards in 2023 and 2024. Its main real-world edge over the cheaper Spirit 2 is the Speech Finder noise-adaptation feature, which matters most if you spend a lot of time in restaurants or group settings.
2. Audicus Spirit 2 — best value
Audicus Spirit 2
- The lowest-priced RIC model in the current Audicus lineup, still Bluetooth-capable.
- Same 100-day trial, free online hearing assessment, and lifetime remote support as the pricier models.
- Good starting point if you're new to OTC hearing aids and want to confirm benefit before spending more.
3. Audicus Mini 2 — most discreet
Audicus Mini 2
- Audicus's smallest, completely-in-canal design, built for buyers who want nothing visible.
- No Bluetooth — the tradeoff Audicus makes to fit the electronics into a CIC shell.
- Priced above the RIC models despite the smaller size, which is typical for custom in-canal hearing aids.
If total invisibility with no external wire matters more than Bluetooth streaming, also compare the Eargo 8 in our best invisible hearing aids roundup — it’s a similarly premium-priced CIC alternative.
The Audicus Premier subscription: when it actually makes sense
Audicus is one of the few brands in this category that lets you rent instead of buy. Audicus Premier runs from $99/month for the Spirit 2 or $119/month for the Omni 2, plus a one-time $249 setup fee, and includes supplies, support, and a free device upgrade every 18 months. Over a year that’s $1,188–$1,428, more than the Spirit 2’s $1,498 outright price inside 13 months — so Premier only wins financially if you value never being stuck with an outdated device, don’t want a lump-sum payment, or expect your hearing needs to change soon enough that an 18-month upgrade cycle is worth paying for indefinitely. Our full hearing aid financing guide walks through how Premier compares to CareCredit, Bread Pay brand plans, and FSA/HSA payment.
How buying from Audicus works
Audicus replaces the audiologist visit with a free online hearing assessment you take at home, which determines your recommended model and initial settings. From there:
- Order your pair — outright or via Audicus Premier — and complete setup guided by the app.
- Use the 100-day risk-free trial in real settings (conversations, phone calls, restaurants) before deciding to keep it. Returns are refunded in full minus return shipping costs; devices that are damaged, modified, or repaired without Audicus’s consent aren’t eligible.
- Get lifetime remote support from Audicus’s hearing specialists, with next-business-day appointments through the app for reprogramming and troubleshooting — no clinic visit required.
- Extend the warranty if you want to: the standard coverage is 2 years, and adding Audicus Protect within the first 100 days ($99/device) stretches that to 3 years with capped copays for repairs ($50) and loss replacement ($195).
Audicus vs. other OTC brands
Audicus’s closest competitor on remote support is Jabra Enhance, which also pairs OTC self-fitting with licensed professional follow-up — though Jabra’s cheapest model, the Select 50R at ~$1,195, undercuts every current Audicus price, and its 100-day trial matches Audicus’s own. If price is the deciding factor, MDHearing and ELEHEAR both sell well below $700 a pair, though neither offers Audicus’s subscription flexibility. For the full competitive picture, see our best hearing aid brands guide and our best OTC hearing aids roundup.
Before you buy: who Audicus is (and isn’t) for
Like every device on this site, Audicus’s OTC lineup is FDA-regulated for adults with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. See a hearing professional first if your loss is severe, sudden, affects only one ear, or comes with pain, drainage, or one-sided/pulsing tinnitus — none of those situations belong in a self-fitting device, however good the lab score. For straightforward age-related or noise-related hearing loss, Audicus’s combination of a real independent “A” grade, a 100-day trial, and genuine remote human support makes it a defensible pick — just decide upfront whether you’d rather own the devices or subscribe.
The bottom line
Audicus earns its place among the better-tested OTC brands: the Omni 2’s A-grade HearAdvisor score (top 11% of all OTC devices) is a real, independently verified result, not marketing copy, and the 100-day trial plus 2-year warranty match or beat most competitors. The Spirit 2 at $1,498 is the sensible starting point for most buyers, while Audicus Premier’s $99+/month subscription is worth it mainly if you don’t want to pay upfront or plan to upgrade often. For exact pricing across the whole OTC market, see our hearing aid prices guide, or browse Audicus hearing aids on Amazon.