Audicus provides a range of affordable, direct-to-consumer hearing aids with advanced features. Customers can test for, purchase, and, in some cases, adjust these hearing aids entirely online. Audicus also partners with Albertsons to provide in-person appointments in a few markets.
Key Features
- Testing, purchase and maintenance can all be conducted online, though you can try Audicus products in person at Albertsons stores in New York, Denver, and Chicago.
- New features are introduced regularly, such as Bluetooth connectivity and adaptive-directional microphones designed to work in crowded settings.
- Audicus’ online experience may be a good option for people with mild to moderate hearing loss who are accustomed to other telehealth settings.
Audicus sidesteps doctors and audiologists to deliver a hearing aid experience directly to consumers online. The company estimates it cuts hearing aid costs by 70% compared to traditional in-person prescription hearing aid providers. The devices’ components, according to the company, are manufactured by the same manufacturers other more expensive hearing aid companies use. Audicus hearing aids can be programmed to custom specifications on the company’s website and can be shipped back to the company for repairs or reprogramming.
According to Audicus CEO and founder Patrick Freuler, when he launched the hearing aid business in 2012, “things were so stark for the end user—so expensive, so limiting.” But now, “we see people in the 55-plus crowd have all become more astute with technology. You’re seeing an acceleration of digital health that is unprecedented, he says. His company strives to make hearing care more affordable and accessible by selling directly to consumers online, focusing primarily on adults between the ages of 55 and 79. “Our customer segment, in the majority of cases, is buying hearing aids for the first time ever. They also come to us with slightly less serious hearing losses than what you’d be seeing in a traditional audiology clinic,” says Freuler.
U.S. adults can buy Audicus and other direct-to-consumer hearing aids without a prescription. As of October 2022, companies can also attempt to register such devices with the FDA as self-fitted hearing aids and enter the new over-the-counter hearing aids market intended for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. People with severe or profound hearing loss, however, still need to obtain a prescription for a customized hearing aid suitable for their specific hearing needs.
