MaxHear
Built for reading the financing terms before you sign up
Audicus Reviews & Alternative: Lease or Own?
Audicus is BBB accredited since 2014, and independent lab testing gives its Omni 2 an A grade, ranked #8 of 63 OTC hearing aids. It also offers a $119-a-month financing plan, no contract, cancel anytime — a genuinely flexible option on paper. Multiple BBB complaints describe being surprised the arrangement functions more like a lease than a purchase, with billing continuing after they expected it to stop.
MaxHear is a sound amplifier app for iPhone and Android that lets you find out whether amplification helps you at all, for free, using headphones you already own — no financing plan or billing schedule to track.
Free to try with no account, no email and no card. Headphones required.
"I'll be honest, I expected to send it back. I've bought plenty of stuff online that looked great and ended up in a drawer somewhere. This one actually gets used. Mostly for the TV and restaurants. And the price was a lot easier to justify than traditional hearing aids."
Frank J., 65 — Chicago, IL · MaxHear userWhat Audicus customers actually say about the money, not the hardware
We read Audicus's most recent Better Business Bureau complaints in full, checked 19 August 2026. Audicus is a genuinely well-established brand — accredited since 2014 — and most complaints center on one specific theme: billing and financing terms, not the device itself.
In complainants' own words:
"Audicus charged me twice as much as the hearing aids actually cost, and they continue to charge me $199 even though the 18-month period is over."
BBB complaint — 29 September 2025"I was told that They didn't sell hearing aides they only leased them. I was totally taken back."
BBB complaint — 4 March 2026"My credit card was not supposed to be charged for 100 days. Charged my credit card was charged immediately, and the hearing aids were returned the day after."
BBB complaint — 22 January 2026A separate complaint describes being charged $99 for a return the company had already been notified about in advance, calling it an attempt to "scam me out of $99" (BBB complaint, 7 January 2026). None of these describe the hardware failing — each is specifically about what the payment structure turned out to mean in practice.
The finding worth knowing before you finance anything: "no contract" and "lease" can describe the same arrangement
Audicus's monthly plan is marketed as flexible — no contract, cancel anytime. At least one customer says they were told directly it functions as a lease rather than a sale, and a separate complaint describes charges continuing at the full $199 monthly rate after an 18-month period the customer believed would end the payments. Neither claim means Audicus is acting fraudulently; financing structures for medical devices commonly do work this way. It does mean "no contract" is a claim worth reading the actual terms behind, specifically what happens to billing once you've paid what you consider the device's full price.
What it costs
Audicus offers both a one-time price and a monthly plan.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Omni 2, per pair, paid upfront | $1,898 | HearingTracker |
| Omni 2, monthly financing | $119/month, no contract | Audicus's own pricing |
| Reported real-world billing (BBB complaint) | $199/month, continuing past 18 months | BBB complaint filing |
| BBB accreditation | accredited since 2014 | Better Business Bureau |
| MaxHear | free to find out, then the plan is shown in the app | — |
Original Medicare covers neither hearing aids nor the exams used to fit them. If financing, ask for the total number of payments and the exact date charges stop, in writing, before your first payment.
Audicus vs MaxHear
A lab-strong device with financing terms worth reading closely vs. a free way to answer the first question.
| What matters | MaxHear Sound amplifier app | Audicus Omni 2 OTC self-fit hearing aid |
|---|---|---|
| Try before you own anything | Yes — free mode, permanently No account, no email, no card | Trial after purchase Financing terms worth confirming first |
| Independently measured sound quality | Not lab-tested A general-purpose amplifier, not a clinical device | Grade A, #8 of 63 (HearAdvisor) A genuinely strong OTC performer |
| Billing you can predict | Yes 3 days free, then the plan is shown in the app | Confirm in writing Complaints describe billing outlasting expected payoff |
| Hardware required | None Uses the phone and headphones you own | Yes A physical device, sold outright or financed |
| Cost | 3 days free to try, then the plan is shown in the app Nothing to buy to find out | $1,898 upfront or $119–$199/mo Medicare pays nothing |
Audicus's hardware genuinely scores well in independent testing — this isn't a device-quality problem. If you first want to know whether amplification helps you at all before signing any payment plan, that's the question MaxHear answers, for free.
Why people check MaxHear before financing an Audicus
Chosen from what actually recurs in Audicus's own BBB complaints — not a generic list.
Nothing to finance
MaxHear's free mode has no payment plan, no monthly charge to track against a total.
No structure to decode
MaxHear's terms are the same for everyone, stated plainly — free to try, then a clear plan shown in the app.
Nothing charged until you decide
No card required for the free mode at all.
Answer that question first, for free
Test whether amplification helps you at all before signing any financing agreement.
Which one is actually right for you
Three honest positions, not two.
Your loss is beyond what a self-fit device covers
Severe or profound loss, one-ear loss, or conductive or mixed loss needs a professional. Go promptly if loss came on suddenly or you have ear pain, discharge, dizziness or ringing.
You want a lab-strong device and pay upfront, or confirm the financing terms in writing
The A grade, #8-of-63 lab ranking is real. If you finance, get the exact number of payments and stop date in writing before your first charge.
You'd rather not commit to any financing plan yet
Your struggle is situational, or you want to know whether amplification helps before any payment structure is involved. Test it free first.
A ten-minute check before you sign a financing agreement
Do this before agreeing to any monthly plan. It costs nothing and gives you a real answer.
Write down your three hardest moments
The restaurant table, the phone call, the TV at family dinners. Specific beats "I can't hear well."
Grab headphones you already own
Wired or Bluetooth, whatever you have — no new hardware needed to test the question.
Start in a quiet room, level low
The app opens quiet on purpose — you set the level, with one person talking to you.
Then test your actual worst room
The kitchen mid-cooking, or a café at lunch. That's the situation you're really solving for.
Judge it on one thing
Are you asking people to repeat themselves less? If yes, you've learned amplification helps — now a purchase or financing decision is informed, not a guess.
FAQ: Audicus reviews and alternatives
Is Audicus a legitimate company?
Yes. It has been BBB accredited since 2014, and its Omni 2 device scores grade A, #8 of 63 OTC hearing aids, in HearAdvisor's independent lab testing. Most recent complaints are about billing and financing terms, not the hardware or the company's basic legitimacy.
Does Audicus's monthly plan mean I'm leasing, not buying?
At least one BBB complaint describes being told directly by Audicus that the arrangement is a lease. A separate complaint describes billing continuing at the full monthly rate after the 18-month period the customer expected would end it. Confirm the exact structure and stop date in writing before financing.
How much does Audicus cost?
$1,898 for the Omni 2 paid upfront, or $119 a month advertised as no-contract financing, per Audicus's own pricing and HearingTracker.
Is the Audicus Omni 2 actually good?
By independent lab measurement, yes — HearAdvisor grades it A, ranking #8 of 63 OTC hearing aids tested.
Can an app replace a hearing aid?
No, and MaxHear doesn't claim to. It's a sound amplifier app, not a medical device, and isn't authorized as a hearing aid. Its purpose is answering whether amplification helps you at all, for free, before any purchase or financing agreement.
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Another lab-strong budget brandLucid Hearing reviews & alternative
Also HearAdvisor Expert's Choice-rated, with its own separate story.
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Lucid Hearing and Sony sit in the same self-fit OTC category, each with its own separate story. We're building an honest page for each.
Stop asking people to repeat themselves
Install MaxHear, connect the headphones you already own, and hear the next conversation clearly.