MaxHear
Built for the moment a BBB rating looks reassuring but measures the wrong thing
Medline Alternative & Reviews: What Owners Actually Say
Medline Industries carries an A+ BBB rating, which sounds like a reason to trust its hearing aids — except the complaints behind that record aren't about hearing aids at all. One recent complaint was about a wobbly wheelchair frame; another was about the price of a box of Kellogg's raisin bran at Medline's home-delivery store. Medline is a hospital and medical-supply company first, with thousands of product lines — hearing aids are a recent addition, not the business.
MaxHear is a sound amplifier app for iPhone and Android that lets you judge the sound for yourself, for free, using headphones you already own, from a company whose only product is amplification.
Free to try with no account, no email and no card. Headphones required.
"Phone calls were driving me nuts. I could hear the person, but I'd miss random words and have to ask them to repeat themselves. After a while you just stop wanting to answer the phone. MaxHear has helped quite a bit with that."
Diane K., 60 — Denver, CO · MaxHear userWhat Medline's hearing aids actually are, and what its BBB record actually measures
Checked 23 August 2026, against Medline Industries L.P.'s Better Business Bureau profile and Medline's own product pages.
Medline's current rechargeable Bluetooth OTC hearing aids — available in behind-ear and in-ear versions — are a real step up from a basic amplifier: up to 20 hours of battery life per charge, IP54 water and dust resistance, 4 environment settings (standard, restaurant, outdoor, music), and Bluetooth streaming for calls and music from any iOS or Android device. That's a genuinely modern OTC hearing aid spec sheet, not the single-dial handheld gadgets some other budget brands sell.
The complication is the company behind it. Medline Industries L.P. holds an A+ BBB rating with 26 complaints in the last 3 years, 7 closed in the past 12 months. But the actual complaint text we found wasn't about hearing — one customer complained about a wheelchair seat that "buckles under normal weight" with a "wobbly" frame; another wrote that Medline "price gauges people on everything they sell," citing a 17.1oz box of Kellogg's raisin bran priced at $14 through Medline's at-home delivery store versus $5 at a local grocery chain. Medline sells nearly everything a hospital or home-care patient might need — hearing aids are one recent line inside a catalog that also includes wheelchairs, gauze, gloves and groceries.
The finding worth knowing before you buy: the A+ rating isn't measuring the product you're buying
An A+ BBB rating for Medline Industries tells you the company generally resolves disputes well — across its entire business. It doesn't tell you anything specific about the hearing aids, because none of the complaint text we could find mentioned them. That's a genuinely different situation from a brand whose entire BBB record is built from people who bought the exact product you're considering.
What it costs
Pricing varies by retailer and by which model (in-ear vs. behind-ear).
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rechargeable Bluetooth OTC (one model) | $349 (list $399) | Walmart listing |
| Rechargeable Bluetooth OTC (other model) | $449 (list $549) | DME Superstore listing |
| BBB rating (company-wide) | A+, not accredited, 26 complaints/3yr | 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.
Medline vs MaxHear
A hospital-supply company's hearing aid line vs. a company that only makes one thing.
| What matters | MaxHear Sound amplifier app | Medline OTC hearing aid |
|---|---|---|
| Company's focus | Hearing amplification, only One product, one purpose | Hospital & medical supply Hearing aids are one line among thousands |
| BBB record specific to this product | N/A No purchase, nothing to file | Not found Complaints we found were about wheelchairs and groceries |
| Extra hardware to buy | None Uses the phone and headphones you own | Yes A physical rechargeable device plus charging case |
| Try before you own anything | Yes — free mode, permanently No account, no email, no card | Depends on retailer Return policy varies by seller |
| Cost | 3 days free to try, then the plan is shown in the app Nothing to buy to find out | $349–$449 per retailer Medicare pays nothing |
If you're drawn to Medline because the parent company's name feels reassuring, look specifically for reviews of the hearing aid model itself — not the company's overall rating, which is built mostly from an unrelated catalog. If you first want to know whether amplification helps you at all, MaxHear answers that for free.
Why people check MaxHear instead
Chosen from what actually distinguishes Medline's situation, not a generic list.
Nothing to untangle
MaxHear makes one thing. There's no wheelchair complaint or grocery-pricing dispute mixed into its track record.
Nothing extra to own
MaxHear runs on the phone already in your pocket and the headphones you already have.
Judge it yourself, for free
You don't need a company-wide rating to evaluate MaxHear — try the free mode and hear the result directly.
Built around one job
Amplifying what you want to hear is MaxHear's entire purpose, not a recent addition to a hospital-supply catalog.
Which one is actually right for you
One clear recommendation here.
Your hearing loss needs professional care
Severe or profound loss, one-ear loss, or conductive or mixed loss needs a licensed provider, regardless of which company sells the device. Go promptly if loss came on suddenly or you have ear pain, discharge, dizziness or ringing.
You want to test amplification before comparing hardware
No company-wide rating to interpret, no wheelchair complaints to filter out. Test whether amplification helps you at all, free, right now.
A ten-minute check before you spend $349–$449
Do this before buying based on a parent company's overall rating. It costs nothing and gives you your own 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 — before spending $349 or more.
FAQ: Medline reviews and alternatives
Is Medline BBB accredited, and what do the complaints say?
Medline Industries L.P. carries an A+ BBB rating (not accredited), with 26 complaints in the last 3 years and 7 closed in the last 12 months. The complaint excerpts we found weren't about hearing aids at all — one was about wheelchair quality, another about grocery pricing at Medline's home-delivery store. Medline is primarily a hospital and medical-supply company; hearing aids are one line among thousands.
Is the Medline hearing aid actually an FDA OTC device?
Yes. Medline's rechargeable Bluetooth models (in-ear and behind-ear) are marketed as OTC hearing aids, not basic amplifiers, with features like 4 environment settings, IP54 water/dust resistance, and Bluetooth streaming.
How much does the Medline hearing aid cost?
Listings we checked ranged from $349 (Walmart, marked down from $399) to $449 (marked down from $549) depending on retailer and model — behind-ear and in-ear versions are priced differently.
Does Medline's BBB complaint history apply to their hearing aids specifically?
Not based on what we could find. Medline's BBB complaints skew toward its broader medical-supply and home-delivery catalog — wheelchairs, general product quality, pricing on unrelated items like groceries — not hearing-aid-specific issues.
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 you spend anything on hardware.
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Stop asking people to repeat themselves
Install MaxHear, connect the headphones you already own, and hear the next conversation clearly.