MaxHear
Built for finding out first, not for wearing hardware
Jabra Enhance Reviews & Alternative, Fact-Checked
Jabra Enhance is a genuinely well-regarded self-fit hearing aid — 4.7 out of 5 from roughly 7,000 App Store ratings, and a B grade (top 24% of OTC hearing aids tested) from independent lab testing at HearAdvisor. This page will not pretend otherwise.
But it is still $1,195–$1,995 of hardware, bought before you know whether amplification is even what you need. MaxHear is a sound amplifier app for iPhone and Android that answers that one question for free, in about a minute, using headphones you already own — so the hardware decision, if you still want to make it, is an informed one.
Free to try with no account, no email and no card. Headphones required.
"My mother has been telling me for two years that I need to get my hearing checked, so naturally I ignored her for as long as possible."
Karen F., 59 — Charlotte, NC · MaxHear userWhat Jabra Enhance owners actually say
Two real profiles, two different pictures. The companion app, Jabra Enhance Select, holds 4.7 out of 5 from roughly 7,000 App Store ratings — checked 19 August 2026 directly against Apple's listing. The company's Better Business Bureau profile tells a narrower, more specific story: A+ rated and accredited, with 29 complaints closed in the past three years (9 in the past twelve months).
The two records aren't measuring the same thing. The App Store rating comes from people who installed an app they already own and are rating the device day to day — that pool is large and, on the evidence, mostly satisfied. The BBB complaints are a much smaller, self-selected group who ran into a specific problem, and several of them describe the same shape of friction: a device issue that needs a scheduled fix, and a wait to get one.
"The only appointments are 2 or more weeks out."
BBB complaint — 19 February 2026, filed alongside a Bluetooth connectivity issue"Every appt is 2 to 3 weeks off."
BBB complaint — 3 December 2025, over a simple volume adjustment during the 100-day trialA third complaint (19 February 2026) describes the app being "useless because they dont easily connect via Bluetooth," on a third warranty claim for wires that "don't seat properly" and intermittently disconnect. A fourth (5 January 2026) describes a transferred pair of hearing aids that couldn't be registered because Jabra had already used the previous owner's payment and shipping information to set up the account, with support declining to help because of device-transfer restrictions.
The finding worth knowing before you buy: this is not an independent hearing aid company
Jabra Enhance launched in New York in 2019 as Lively. GN Store Nord — which has owned Jabra since 2000 — bought Lively in December 2021 and rebranded it to Jabra Enhance in 2022, continuing to honor existing Lively warranties. GN is also the parent company of ReSound, one of the largest prescription hearing aid brands, and Jabra Enhance's hardware is built on that same engineering base. The companion app's own install identifier, com.lively.app, still carries the old name years after the rebrand.
None of that makes the product worse — the App Store rating suggests otherwise. It does mean "trying a different OTC brand instead of Jabra" and "trying ReSound's own prescription line instead" are not as independent a choice as the logos suggest.
What it costs, and how long you get to decide
Unlike prescription brands, Jabra Enhance publishes its own prices. Current US figures, direct from the manufacturer.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Enhance Select 50R, per pair | $1,195 | HearingTracker |
| Enhance Select 300, per pair | $1,695 | HearingTracker |
| Enhance Select 700, per pair | $1,995 | HearingTracker |
| Trial, bought direct | 100 days | JabraEnhance.com |
| Trial, third-party retailer | 30 days | HearingTracker |
| Warranty / care package | 1–3 years | JabraEnhance.com |
| Replace one lost or damaged aid | $195 deductible, once per coverage period | JabraEnhance.com coverage policy |
| Medicare | pays nothing | excluded by statute since 1965 |
| MaxHear | free to find out, then the plan is shown in the app | — |
To be fair to Jabra Enhance: 100 days bought direct is a genuinely generous window, longer than most brands we've reviewed — a real point in its favor, not a complaint. It is still a return window on a purchase, though, not a free check before one. Original Medicare covers neither hearing aids nor the exams used to fit them, and OTC devices don't require a professional exam to buy in the first place — the FDA created this OTC category for exactly that reason, in October 2022.
Jabra Enhance vs MaxHear
Both are self-fit — neither needs a clinic. Compared on what actually differs once that's equal.
| What matters | MaxHear Sound amplifier app | Jabra Enhance OTC self-fit hearing aid |
|---|---|---|
| Try before you own anything | Yes — free mode, permanently No account, no email, no card | Only after buying 100-day trial direct, 30 days via retailers |
| Hardware required | None Uses the phone and headphones you own | Yes Two custom-fitted aids, charging case |
| Who adjusts it | You, live Four sliders, no appointment or ticket | You, via the app, or remotely by a professional A BBB complaint describes a 2-3 week wait for a scheduled adjustment |
| Streaming reliability | Nothing to pair Wired headphones can't drop a Bluetooth link | Bluetooth to two aids A BBB complaint describes intermittent Bluetooth disconnection |
| Privacy | Nothing recorded, works offline Microphone audio never leaves the phone | Companion app, cloud-connected Account and pairing required |
| Support model | Self-serve, immediate No queue to reach for a setting change | Care team by message/call A+ BBB rated; some complaints describe multi-week appointment waits |
| Best for | Situational checks and specific moments TV, cafés, phone calls, lectures | Established mild-to-moderate loss, worn all day HearAdvisor grade B, top 24% of OTC devices tested |
| Cost | 3 days free to try, then the plan is shown in the app Nothing to buy to find out | $1,195–$1,995 a pair Medicare pays nothing |
This isn't a case for one over the other. If you already know your hearing loss is real and want dedicated, all-day hardware, Jabra Enhance's own rating suggests it's a solid pick. If you're not sure amplification helps you at all yet, that's the one question MaxHear is built to answer, for nothing, before Jabra's own trial period even starts.
Why people check MaxHear before buying any OTC hearing aid
Chosen from what actually recurs in Jabra Enhance's BBB complaint record — not a generic list. There's no "device failure" card here, because that isn't what shows up in the data.
Nothing to pair, so nothing to drop
Jabra Enhance streams to two hearing aids over Bluetooth, and one BBB complainant describes that link failing to seat properly. MaxHear sends sound to whatever headphones you plug in or pair — a simple wired pair has no connection to lose in the first place.
The sliders stay in your hands
The recurring theme in Jabra Enhance's BBB complaint record is a wait to get a scheduled fix, not a broken device. MaxHear's equalizer — bass, voice, clarity, treble — changes live while you're listening, with a reset button. There is no appointment to book for a small change.
Find out for nothing, first
Jabra's 100-day trial is generous, but it starts after a purchase. MaxHear's free mode needs no account, email or card: 15 seconds of live amplification per session, three sessions a day, permanently — enough to learn whether amplification helps you before you decide whether $1,195 of hardware is the right next step.
Nothing to lose, nothing to replace
One owner lost a single aid a week in, paid $195 to replace it, and forfeited the rest of the trial in the process. MaxHear runs on the phone in your pocket and any headphones — AirPods, Bluetooth, or wired. Nothing sized to fall out of an ear or slip under a couch cushion.
Which one is actually right for you
Unlike a prescription brand, this isn't really a two-way split — OTC already covers a lot of ground. Three honest positions, not two.
Your loss is beyond what OTC covers
OTC devices, Jabra Enhance included, are built for perceived mild-to-moderate loss in adults. Severe or profound loss, one-ear loss, or conductive/mixed loss needs a professional. Go promptly, not eventually, if loss came on suddenly or you have ear pain, discharge, dizziness or ringing — some of those are treatable.
You already know amplification helps, and want it all day
Its own rating and lab results back that up. If you've established your loss is real and you want dedicated, worn-all-day hardware with a 100-day trial behind it, this is a reasonable, well-reviewed pick — we're not arguing otherwise.
You haven't established that yet
Your struggle is situational — restaurants, the TV, phone calls — and you're not sure a hearing aid, even a good one, is the right next step. Test it free first; if the answer is yes, you'll shop for hardware knowing it, instead of guessing.
A ten-minute check before you spend $1,195+
Do this before adding anything to a cart. 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 ones are fine, and can't suffer the streaming drops some Jabra reviewers describe.
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 you can shop for Jabra Enhance, or anything else, with real information. If no, that's useful too: talk to an audiologist about what's actually going on.
FAQ: Jabra Enhance reviews and alternatives
Is Jabra Enhance the same company as Lively?
Yes. Lively launched in New York in 2019; GN Store Nord (which has owned Jabra since 2000) acquired it in December 2021 and rebranded it to Jabra Enhance in 2022, continuing to honor existing Lively warranties. The companion app's install identifier still reads com.lively.app.
Why does Jabra Enhance look so different on the App Store versus the BBB?
They measure different things. The App Store's 4.7 comes from roughly 7,000 people who installed an app for a device they already use. The BBB's 29 complaints in three years come from a much smaller, self-selected group who ran into a specific problem — mostly appointment scheduling and Bluetooth connectivity, rather than the hardware failing outright. Both are real; neither is the whole picture.
Is Jabra Enhance made by the same company as ReSound?
They share a parent, GN Store Nord, which also owns ReSound, one of the largest prescription hearing aid brands. That doesn't make either product worse — it just means the two aren't as independent a comparison as separate logos suggest.
Is Jabra Enhance worth the money?
Its own numbers say yes for the group it's built for: 4.7 out of 5 from roughly 7,000 App Store ratings, and a B grade (top 24% of OTC devices tested) from independent lab testing at HearAdvisor. The open question isn't quality — it's whether you've established that amplification helps you before spending $1,195 to $1,995 to find out.
How much does Jabra Enhance cost, and can I return it?
$1,195 to $1,995 a pair depending on the Select model, per HearingTracker. Bought directly from JabraEnhance.com it comes with a 100-day trial; through third-party retailers, typically 30 days. Both are return windows on a purchase, not a free check before one.
Can an app replace an OTC hearing aid?
Not for established hearing loss, and MaxHear doesn't claim to. It's a sound amplifier app, not a medical device, and isn't authorized as a hearing aid. A 2023 randomized controlled trial in JMIR mHealth and uHealth found phone-based amplification gave measurable gain over unaided listening in mild-to-moderate loss, while a fitted aid still did better on word recognition and hearing in noise. Its real use is answering the "does this help me at all" question for free, before you decide on hardware.
Does Medicare cover Jabra Enhance?
No. Original Medicare has excluded hearing aids since the 1965 statute. Being OTC doesn't change that — it only removes the requirement for a professional exam before you buy.
Related reading
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Stop asking people to repeat themselves
Install MaxHear, connect the headphones you already own, and hear the next conversation clearly.