Stigmas should be stigmatized. Whether we’re talking about mental health or wearing cargo pants, the world would benefit from less societal shade. For hearing aids, these often-bulky devices can age a wearer faster than gray hair or referencing Jefferson Airplane deep cuts. But despite often being associated with seniors, more than 9 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 59 have some degree of hearing loss. Still, the stigma is enough to keep most of these people from even considering an assistive listening device, not to mention other factors like high costs and a difficult-to-navigate market.
But invisible hearing aids are, as the name suggests, difficult to see by others when they’re worn. While completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids are the most “invisible,” they’re not available over the counter and need to be inserted by a professional audiologist. In this roundup, we’ll take a look at the best in-the-ear (ITE) devices, sometimes referred to as in-the-canal (ITC). Because of their small stature, they often have fewer technical features than some of the larger, less-subtle behind-the-ear (BTE) options, but they can treat mild to moderate hearing loss, often quite well.
Updated August 2025: We've reformatted this guide and added the Eargo 8 and Nuance Audio Glasses, and mentioned the Ceretone Core One Pro.