What Are the Main Hearing Aid Types and Styles?

Date Updated: July 28, 2025

Written by:

Rachel Lustbader

Rachel Lustbader is a writer and editor with a background in healthcare and technology. Her work has been published on websites including HealthCare.com, BiteSizeBio.com, BetterHelp.com, Caring.com, and PayingforSeniorCare.com. She studied health science and public health at Boston University.

Both of Rachel’s grandmothers had very positive experiences in senior living communities, and Rachel saw firsthand the impact that kind, committed caregivers and community managers can have on seniors’ and their family members’ lives. With her work at Caring, Rachel hopes to help other families find communities, caregivers, and at-home products that benefit elderly loved ones and make life less stressful for family caregivers

Hearing aids are small medical devices designed to help individuals with hearing loss by amplifying and clarifying sounds. There are four main types and styles of hearing aids: behind-the-ear, mini-behind-the-ear, in-the-ear, and in-the-canal. While all removable hearing aids are equipped with a microphone, battery and receiver, there are some significant differences in the design and technology used in the main hearing aid types and styles.

Behind-The-Ear Hearing Aids

Also known as traditional hearing aids, this style of hearing aid consists of a small plastic case that’s connected to a fitted earmold that sits just inside the ear. The case contains a battery, microphone and sound processor that amplifies sounds, which are channeled through a small piece of clear tubing to the earmold.

Behind-the-ear hearing aids (BTE) provide sound amplification for those suffering from all levels of hearing loss. This style of hearing aid can also be used in conjunction with other assistive devices and amplification systems, such as telephone and television adapters, induction loop and FM systems.

Because all of the electronic components in a BTE hearing aid are located outside of the ear canal, this style is often used by individuals who suffer from chronic ear infections or excessive ear wax buildup. BTE devices can also be ideal for patients with limited fine motor skills who may be unable to insert and remove smaller, in-canal hearing aids.

Mini Behind-The-Ear Hearing Aids

Mini BTE hearing aids are essentially scaled-down versions of traditional behind-the-ear (BTE) devices. As with full-sized BTE hearing aids, mini BTE hearing aids consist of a small plastic case containing a microphone, battery and sound processor that connects to an earmold via a small plastic tube.

What distinguishes mini BTE’s from traditional BTE’s is size. Mini BTE’s are significantly smaller than conventional hearing aids, making this type of hearing aid lighter and easier to conceal. This style can also be fitted with either a traditional earmold or an open fit earmold, which many users find more comfortable and produces significantly less feedback than earmolds that fill the ear canal.

In-The-Ear and In-The-Canal Hearing Aids

Also called all-in-one hearing aids, in-the-ear hearing aid components including the battery are contained inside a fitted earmold. This type of device eliminates the need for an external case. As with in-the-ear models, in-the-canal hearing aids are all-in-one devices that contain all the components in a single unit.

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