There are quite a few hearing aid companies and each of them offers something different to the consumer.  Why are there so many different companies? Are they all really that different or even needed? The simple answer is yes.  Each company offers different types of hearing aids with their own algorithms for the sound they produce for the user. The following is a list of major hearing aid manufactures in North America; however, there are many smaller companies locally, and even more globally, that serve their communities.

Oticon is a global hearing aid manufacturer.  Founded in 1904 by Hans Demant, Oticon is a part of the parent company William Demant Holding Group.  The headquarters are located in Denmark, but central North America office is out of New Jersey.  Oticon is leading in the hearing aid field with affordable and innovative technology with sleek styling of the hearing aids.

Phonak is another large global manufacturer, owned by Sonova, and founded in 1947.  Their headquarters are in Switzerland, with the American headquarters in Illinois.  Phonak has provided cutting-edge technology for many years, and were one of the first companies to introduce frequency compression to the mass market.  Like Oticon, they have a strong pediatric presence alongside their adult offerings.

Sonic Innovations is also a part of the William Demant Holding Group and prides itself on creative design and technology in small hearing aids.  It was started in Utah in 1991 and quickly grew.

Bernafon is a Swiss hearing health company and is also a part of the William Demant Holding Group.  Founded in 1946 in Flamatt, Switzerland, the company quickly grew specializing in telephones and telephone systems.

Siemens is a diverse German-based company.  Siemens has been manufacturing hearing aids for over 130 years and has been leading hearing aid technology and innovations since it created the first waterproof hearing aid, leading the mass with Bluetooth technology in hearing aids, and even an office earmold impression scanner.

Starkey is an American owned and operated company, founded in 1967.  Starkey is a leader in the industry in hearing aid noise reduction and was the first in the industry to create an in-canal hearing aid.   Starkey is also very charitable organization, fitting more than one hundred thousand people in need with hearing aids.

ReSound was founded in 1943 and became an innovator in sound processing.  They also introduced the first digital hearing aid to the public.  ReSound leads the industry in small hearing aid technology.  They also were the first company to create the open-ear hearing aid style.

Unitron is a Canadian hearing aid company founded in 1964.  Unitron is part of the parent company Sonova.  Unitron was the first in the industry to have anti-shock technology, smart direction microphones and fully integrated alerting technology in hearing aids.

Widex is a family owned and operated company out of Denmark, founded in 1956.  Widex is very focused on the individual needs to each and every hearing aid user and tries to accommodate the varying degrees of hearing loss a user may have.

Beltone was founded in 1940, though started sometime in the 1930s and is an American-based company.  Beltone has been an innovative leader when it comes to technology, creating hearing aids compatible with iPhone and Android phones as well as creating hearing aids to accommodate profound hearing loss.