More than 37 million people in the U.S. report some form of hearing impairment, from the bothersome ringing of tinnitus to difficulty understanding speech or even complete deafness. The good news is that hearing aids can significantly improve hearing in various environments, offering a solution for many. 

However, not all hearing aids are created equal, especially when it comes to online hearing aids. Some online hearing aid providers offer high-quality products. Others, however, are fly-by-night operations looking to make a quick buck.

If you’ve ever run a search for hearing aids online, you may have come across a business called Nano Hearing Aids. In the past, Nano Hearing Aids has received complaints about its product quality and poor customer service, and has even been subject to a lawsuit imposed by  the state of Vermont.

The company has recently settled the lawsuit though and claims to have significantly reformed its business practices. So is Nano Hearing Aids a scam, or is it a legitimate hearing aid company?

This article will discuss everything you need to know about Nano Hearing Aids. How much do Nano Hearing Aids cost? What do the reviews of Nano Hearing Aids say? What are the best alternatives to Nano Hearing Aids? We’ll go over all of that and more below.

What Are Nano Hearing Aids?

Nano Hearing Aids is an online hearing aid company founded in 2017. Robert Carlson, the founder of Nano Hearing Aids, was inspired to launch the company after speaking with his grandmother, who had lost one of her hearing aids and couldn’t afford to replace it.

The Nano Hearing Aids brand was previously owned by the company Nano Hearing Tech Opco, LLC, but is now owned by Hearing At Home, LLC. In March 2021, Nano’s CEO Charles Crawford left the business after a corporate takeover, and the new management has overhauled the company’s product offerings. Nano’s current CEO Ryan Zackon has been in the position since May 2024.

Like many over-the-counter hearing aid providers, Nano allows customers to cut out the middleman when buying hearing aids online. Rather than speaking with an audiologist or hearing aid specialist, customers can purchase devices directly from the Nano website. As such, the company can offer affordable hearing aids that are much cheaper than those obtained from a healthcare provider in a clinic.

Nano Products

In the past, Nano Hearing Aids was criticized for selling hearing aids that were actually personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), a different type of device that isn’t intended for people with hearing loss. Unlike hearing aids, which selectively amplify sounds in your environment for a better hearing experience, PSAPs amplify all sounds at the same time—like a megaphone in your ear. PSAPs are designed for outdoor activities such as birdwatching and hunting, and simply aren’t suitable for treating hearing loss.

However, Nano has recently reformed its product offerings, and it now sells several product lines of FDA-registered, rechargeable hearing aids: First Ear Plus, First Ear Pro, and Audacity. All Nano devices are intended for users with mild to moderate hearing loss, and they come with a charging case, a 45-day money-back guarantee, and a 1-year warranty.

First Ear Plus

The First Ear Plus is Nano’s most basic hearing aid product line, ranging from $297 to $347. It comes in three versions: behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), and completely-in-the-canal (CIC). The battery life varies significantly among these versions; Nano says the First Ear Plus ITE can last for up to 38 hours per charge, but the BTE and CIC last up to 20 and 18 hours, respectively.

Nano First Ear Plus devices offer a limited amount of customization. The company website says that they include two different program settings and personalized listening, but does not offer details about the options available.

First Ear Pro

The First Ear Pro is Nano’s midrange product offering, ranging from $397 to $497. It comes in two versions: BTE and CIC, which have the same battery life as the First Ear Plus.

Nano First Ear Pro devices appear to offer greater customization than the First Ear Plus, with four different program settings instead of two. Like the First Ear Plus, however, the company website does not go into detail about what these different program settings are.

Audacity

The Audacity is Nano’s flagship model at $697, with only a single version available: receiver-in-canal (RIC). The device has up to 17 hours of battery life and three different customizable program settings. This model also comes with a portable charging case, offering two full charges without being plugged in.

Unlike the First Ear Plus and First Ear Pro, the Audacity is Bluetooth-enabled and can pair with the Nano mobile app, allowing users to control their hearing aids from their phones. The device has up to 3 hours of streaming battery life for listening to music or taking phone calls.

Other Nano Hearing Aid Products

Nano sells various protection plans (1-year, 2-year, or 3-year) that partially or fully cover hearing aid loss, theft, accidental damage, and upgrades; the price depends on the device and the length of the plan. The company also offers replacement accessories such as domes, wax guards, and cleaning brushes.

Nano Pricing

How much do Nano products cost? The answer depends on which device you buy. As of February 2025, the prices on the company’s website for a pair of hearing aids are:

• Nano Audacity RIC: $697

• Nano First Ear Pro BTE: $497

• Nano First Ear Pro CIC: $397

• Nano First Ear Plus ITE: $347

• Nano First Ear Plus BTE: $297

• Nano First Ear Plus CIC: $297

Nano Hearing Aids Lawsuit: Is Nano Hearing Aids a Scam?

In October 2021, Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel sent a notice of intended action to Nano, telling the company to cease and desist from its “allegedly unlawful business practices.” The issues with Nano’s conduct included:

• Claiming to sell hearing aids that are actually PSAPs.

• Requiring customers to try the product for a certain number of days before requesting a refund.

• Making customers go through a multi-step process in order to receive the refund.

In January 2023, Nano Hearing Aids was sued by Vermont attorney general Susanne Young due to alleged violations of the state’s Consumer Protection Act. The Vermont lawsuit had many of the same objections to Nano’s business practices as the Michigan letter.

For one, the lawsuit agreed with the Michigan letter that Nano was selling PSAPs and passing them off as hearing aids. Like the Michigan letter, the Vermont lawsuit also said that Nano’s return process was too complicated and even misleading. The lawsuit alleged that the company had tried to trick dissatisfied customers into keeping their hearing aids by running out the clock until the 45-day return window had passed.

What’s more, the Vermont lawsuit said that Nano had used deceptive marketing practices. For example, the company falsely claimed that its products could treat severe hearing loss, and that they were designed in the United States. Nano also allegedly ran a hearing aid review website that appeared to be independent, but in reality was home to “fake content” that promoted Nano’s products.

In February 2025, Nano agreed to settle the Vermont lawsuit by paying $100,000 to the state, as well as creating a “restitution fund” of $41,500 for unhappy customers to get their money back. The Vermont attorney general’s press release also revealed that legal action against the brand’s previous owners was still ongoing. In its own press release, Nano placed the responsibility for the Vermont lawsuit on the company’s previous CEO, and the company now says it is committed to “root out bad actors in this industry.”

Only time will tell whether Nano has truly turned over a new leaf in the pursuit of providing affordable hearing aids online. However, there is one final area of concern: Vermont has agreed to suspend Nano’s obligations under the settlement “until such time as the company has the ability to make payments.” This suggests that Nano may be struggling financially, which isn’t reassuring for customers who need a stable and dependable hearing aid provider. 

Nano Hearing Aids Reviews

The Vermont lawsuit against Nano Hearing Aids didn’t appear out of thin air. There has been a long-standing pattern of complaints against Nano’s products and customer service, both from users and from medical professionals. 

Nano Hearing Aids Customer Reviews

The WDAF-TV station in Kansas City reported on the story of Dan Conninghton, a Nano customer who was having serious difficulties getting a refund for the device. According to Conninghton, he purchased a Nano device for $399, but it broke after just a month of use. He mailed the product back to Nano for repairs, then received a new device after weeks of not hearing from the company’s support team. However, Connighton said that the new device he received was refurbished and didn’t work, and he was only able to get a full refund after WDAF-TV reporters got in touch with Nano.

Stories like Conninghton’s are not uncommon when reading Nano reviews. As of writing, Nano Hearing Aids has received an average rating of just 1.71 out of 5 stars on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) page, based on 240 reviews. In addition, more than 600 complaints have been filed against the company.

In a BBB review of Nano Hearing Aids, customer Marilee S. reports having a poor experience with Nano customer support that echoes stories like Conninghton’s:

The worst customer service. Trying to return worthless aids. They talked me into the $749 pair. They don’t work. Made several calls but they say the service rep has to ‘take care of’ it. They promise a 45-day return. They refuse to return money. Tried talking me into a different pair instead of returning. I started calling before the 45-day return and now it is past that date. I was ‘assured’ that since my call was prior to the 45-day return that they would honor the return. They have not. False advertising.”

Another BBB user, Debi R., has complained about the quality of Nano hearing aids, as well as challenges with customer service:

My husband bought a pair of hearing aids and he called to return them because they didn’t work for him. The aids are amplifiers. If we got them loud enough for him to hear, they squealed. They didn’t hold charge well either. The woman on the phone wouldn’t listen to us that we wanted a refund, not a replacement. We spent 30 minutes on the phone trying to get through to her.”

Evidence suggests that Nano Hearing Aids outsources its customer service abroad to locations such as the Philippines. Nano’s current CEO, Ryan Zackon, recently posted on LinkedIn referencing their “40+ person [Customer Service] team in the Philippines”. Other examples include profiles on Upwork and LinkedIn that show Nano employees based in the Philippines with job titles such as “Customer Service Officer” and “Call Center Representative.” In addition, a posting on JobOceans (an online job board for the Philippines) says that Nano Hearing Aids is “urgently hiring” phone representatives; being familiar with the hearing aid industry is not a requirement. 

Nano Hearing Aids Expert Reviews

Beyond the dissatisfied customers, hearing professionals have also spoken out against Nano’s former product offerings. Dr. Cliff Olson is an audiologist in Arizona who runs the YouTube channel “Doctor Cliff, AuD.” He has called Nano Hearing Aids “one of the most deceptive online hearing aid companies,” criticizing them for their poor quality and aggressive marketing tactics.

In one video, Dr. Olson performed a head-to-head comparison between a Nano device and a “hearing amplifier” product that cost $20 on the Chinese e-commerce website Alibaba. He found that the Alibaba product and the Nano CIC have a nearly identical construction, and even came with the same accessories. Using a sound device, he found that both devices had a very similar output and an “equally horrific sound quality.”

In another video, Dr. Olson said that he was served with a cease and desist letter from Nano falsely claiming that he was being paid to give bad reviews. He also said that Nano was “one of the biggest perpetrators of taking advantage of consumers.”

It’s important to note that Dr. Olson was reviewing one of Nano’s previous products, a “hearing aid” which was more likely a cheap PSAP. Another hearing professional who has criticized Nano devices is Dr. Ben Thompson, a doctor of audiology who runs the YouTube channel “Treble Health.” In a video about Nano, Dr. Thompson says that the Nano PSAP is not a true hearing aid and that he would “avoid it at all costs if I could.”

With its new management, Nano says it is committed to improving its product offerings, and its latest devices are FDA-registered hearing aids rather than PSAPs. However, we can’t find any hearing professionals who have reviewed these newer devices, which is perhaps understandable given the company’s reputation. It may take some time for Nano to establish itself as a credible option for buying hearing aids online.

A High-Quality Alternative to Nano: MDHearing

While Nano Hearing Aids claims to have mended its ways by improving its products and service, prospective customers may still be wary. Given the company’s potentially shaky financial state and its reputation of poor customer service, it’s understandable that hearing aid users would look for alternatives to Nano.

MDHearing is a leading provider of affordable hearing aids. We’ve helped more than 1 million customers test their hearing and purchase hearing aids online. Unlike Nano Hearing Aids, MDHearing was founded by a medical professional, an ENT doctor in the Chicagoland area.

MDHearing’s products are designed and tested by audiologists, and registered with the FDA as class I and class II medical devices. MDHearing sources its microphones and receivers from Knowles and Sonion, the same manufacturers that high-end hearing aid companies use. In addition, the computer chips in MDHearing products are sourced from a U.S.-based manufacturer with decades of experience.

The MDHearing website makes it easy for hearing aid users to cut out the middleman. You can directly purchase the devices that best fit your needs. All of MDHearing’s products arrive at your door assembled, ready for you to begin your 45-day risk-free trial. Unlike Nano Hearing Aids, MDHearing does not require a minimum trial period before allowing users to return the device.

Also unlike Nano, MDHearing provides top-notch, U.S.-based customer service. Our team of licensed audiologists and hearing aid specialists is available via phone, email, web chat, or video telemedicine appointment if you have any concerns—from questions about your order to assistance with how to use your hearing aids. All of our customer care team is trained by our in-house audiology team, and our full staff of licensed audiologists and hearing instrument specialists can answer any audiological questions you have.

MDHearing user Joan P. writes:

The customer service has been outstanding, very helpful. They continue to help solve the problem and give solutions. Out of 5 stars, I would give them 6.”

Reviewer Jerry G. says:

Great product. Every bit as good as, if not better than, my $4000 hearing aids that I had been using. One of these expensive aids was damaged. Rather than have it repaired or replaced, I opted to try your MDHearing. I would recommend this product to anyone struggling to hear.”

MDHearing’s website also offers a free hearing test so customers can test their hearing in just minutes, and receive instant results. Customers that already have hearing test results can email them to MDHearing. Our on-staff audiologists will analyze the test results and recommend the best hearing aid for you.

Want to see if MDHearing hearing aids will work for you? Take our quick and easy online hearing test and get your results instantly.
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