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Two of the biggest names in OTC hearing aids solve the same problem with opposite philosophies. Eargo hides a rechargeable aid completely inside your ear canal and charges a premium for the disappearing act. Lexie puts Bose-tuned self-fitting behind your ear at a fraction of the price. Same hearing-loss range, very different trade-offs.
Not sure OTC is right for your level of loss? Take the severity quiz first — both brands only serve perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
Buy Lexieif you want the most hearing aid per dollar: $299–$899, Bose-licensed self-fitting on the B-series, and a 45-day trial to prove it works for you. Buy Eargoif discretion is the deciding factor — nothing else in OTC comes close to its in-canal invisibility — and the two-to-three-times-higher price is acceptable for that. Neither brand hears “better” across the board; you are choosing between visibility and price.
Both brands cover the same FDA OTC range (perceived mild-to-moderate loss, PTA up to about 60 dB), offer 45-day trials, and carry 12-month warranties. Eargo's premium buys the completely-in-canal form factor, rechargeability across the whole line, and lifetime remote support from hearing professionals. Lexie's value proposition is aggressive pricing with app-guided fitting and remote support — its rechargeable flagship still costs less than Eargo's entry model.
Prices are list/street as of our last verification. Every model below is intended for perceived mild-to-moderate loss only.
| Model | Style | Price | Rechargeable | FDA pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexie Lumen | BTE | $299 | No (312 batteries) | FDA OTC self-fit (QUH) |
| Lexie H1 Hearing Buds | Earbud-style | $299 | Yes | Ride-on variant |
| Lexie B1 Powered by Bose | RIC | $649 | No (312 batteries) | Ride-on variant (Bose) |
| Lexie B2 Plus Powered by Bose | RIC | $899 | Yes | Ride-on variant (Bose) |
| Eargo SE | CIC (in-canal) | $799 | Yes | Ride-on variant |
| Eargo 5/6 | CIC (in-canal) | $1,650 | Yes | FDA OTC self-fit (QUH) |
| Eargo 7 | CIC (in-canal) | $2,650 | Yes | Ride-on variant |
| Eargo 8 | CIC (in-canal) | $2,950 | Yes | Ride-on variant |
Chosen for value within each brand's philosophy — Lexie for price-to-feature, Eargo for buyers set on invisibility.
Lexie
Also stocked at Costco at $999. Rechargeable RIC. Subscription tier discontinued.
Bose-tuned, rechargeable, app self-fit with a 45-day trial at $899 — flagship-level features at a third of flagship Eargo pricing.
Lexie
At $299 with its own FDA OTC self-fit clearance (QUH), the Lumen is the lowest-cost way into a fully cleared self-fitting hearing aid.
Eargo
Entry-tier Eargo — competes directly with Lexie Lumen at similar price.
The $799 entry point to Eargo's nearly invisible in-canal design, rechargeable with the same 45-day trial as its flagships.
Eargo
Mid-tier Eargo with 2-year warranty. Discreet CIC form factor.
Eargo's mature flagship line: completely-in-canal, rechargeable, with lifetime remote support — for buyers whose priority is discretion, not price.
Picks are based on FDA regulatory pathway, price, and severity fit from our verified product database — not on which brand pays the most.
Lexie, by a wide margin at every tier. Lexie runs $299 (Lumen) to $899 (B2 Plus Powered by Bose). Eargo starts at $799 for the entry Eargo SE and climbs to $2,650-$2,950 for its current flagships — flagship Eargo costs roughly three times a flagship Lexie. What Eargo charges for is the nearly invisible in-the-canal form factor, not extra hearing range: both brands cover the same perceived mild-to-moderate loss.
Very close to it. Eargo devices are completely-in-canal (CIC) — they sit inside the ear canal and are effectively unnoticeable in normal conversation. Lexie's main models are behind-the-ear (BTE) or receiver-in-canal (RIC) designs, which are visible up close, though modern RICs are slim. If not being seen wearing a hearing aid is your top priority, that's Eargo's entire pitch — and its price premium.
Yes — Lexie's B-series (B1, B2, B2 Plus 'Powered by Bose') licenses Bose's self-fitting technology, which came out of Bose's own FDA-cleared SoundControl hearing aid. The budget Lexie Lumen is Lexie's own platform with a full FDA OTC self-fit clearance of its own. Either way you're getting app-guided self-fitting; the Bose branding applies to the B-series specifically.
Both brands are legitimate OTC hearing aids, but the clearances differ by model. Lexie's Lumen holds a direct FDA OTC self-fit clearance (product code QUH — the gold standard), while the B-series rides on Bose's clearance as authorized variants. Eargo's 5/6 hold a direct QUH clearance, while the SE, 7, and 8 are ride-on variants of that clearance. Ride-on isn't a red flag — it's a legal pathway — but we label it honestly on every product card.
No. Like all OTC hearing aids, both brands are intended for adults with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. If speech is hard to follow even in quiet rooms, or our severity quiz suggests more than moderate loss, you need a professionally fitted prescription aid — through Costco's hearing centers or an independent audiologist — rather than either of these brands.
They're identical on paper: both Eargo and Lexie offer a 45-day trial and a 12-month warranty on the models we track. The practical difference is support style — Lexie leans on in-app guidance with remote support, while Eargo includes lifetime remote support from its hearing professionals on current models. Confirm the current terms at checkout; return windows and support bundles change more often than hardware.