How much cheaper is Certus One than a fitted pair in Ireland?

Certus One is €179.99 a pair. HSE (medical card or under 18): Free. Treatment Benefit Scheme: €1,000 off a pair. Private, no grant: Low thousands a pair. The trade is the audiogram, the professional fitting and in-person aftercare.

Is a cheap over-the-counter device as good as an expensive fitted one?

Not in noisy environments, and not fitted to your hearing. In quiet rooms, one-to-one conversation and on the phone, the gap is smaller than the price difference suggests. A 2026 meta-analysis of 15 studies and 774 participants found self-fitting over-the-counter devices performed comparably to audiologist-fitted devices on patient-reported measures, although the authors rate the certainty of that evidence as low.

Do I need a hearing test before buying an over-the-counter device?

You are not required to have one, but it is worth doing. A hearing test tells you whether your loss is inside the mild-to-moderate range these devices are built for, and if it is not, no over-the-counter device at any price will help.

Certus Hearing Reviews

Certus One vs the Treatment Benefit Scheme and private clinics

Ireland's grant is generous but capped and contribution-based. What matters is whether you qualify, and what the gap is once the grant is applied.

Prices checked 31 July 2026.

Is Certus One as good as a professionally fitted hearing aid?

No, and it is not priced as if it were. It does not replace a professional fitting.

Check your PRSI entitlement first. €1,000 towards a fitted pair, from an audiologist, beats a €179.99 self-fitted device if you qualify.

The options, priced

Hearing device options in Ireland compared by price, fitting and aftercare
Option	Price	Fitting	Aftercare	The catch
HSE (medical card or under 18)	Free	Audiologist fitted	Included	Medical card holders and under-18s only.
Treatment Benefit Scheme	€1,000 off a pair	Audiologist fitted, contracted supplier required	Repairs covered up to €100	Requires qualifying PRSI contributions, and is available once every four years. The grant rarely covers a full private pair.
Private, no grant	Low thousands a pair	Audiologist fitted, full service	Bundled	Tax relief may be claimable, but the upfront cost is yours.
Certus OneOur product	€179.99 a pair	Self-fitted, preset. No audiogram, no appointment.	90-day home trial, 2-year warranty, email support	No professional fitting, no in-person aftercare, much smaller gains in loud rooms, and no Treatment Benefit grant.

Sources: Citizens Information, Treatment Benefit, HSE, hearing aids. Checked 31 July 2026. Verify current prices with each provider before deciding.

€500 per aid

The Treatment Benefit Scheme pays up to €500 per hearing aid, €1,000 a pair, once every four years, if you have the PRSI contributions. It also covers repairs up to €100.

Source: Citizens Information, Treatment Benefit Scheme. Checked 2026-07-31.

Free with a medical card

HSE audiology provides free hearing aids to under-18s and to adults with a medical card. Everyone else pays privately, with or without the Treatment Benefit grant.

Source: Health Service Executive. Checked 2026-07-31.

Once every 4 years

The grant is limited to one hearing aid or pair every four years, and only through suppliers contracted to the Department of Social Protection.

Source: Department of Social Protection. Checked 2026-07-31.

The gap

Private pairs in Ireland commonly run into the low thousands, so the €1,000 grant covers part of a fitted pair rather than all of it.

Source: HSE, covering the cost of hearing aids. Checked 2026-07-31.

Where the cheap option genuinely loses

Noise. A professionally fitted pair uses directional microphones and adaptive processing that a preset in-canal device at this price does not match. In a restaurant, a pub, or a room with more than three people talking, the difference is audible, and our own reviewers say so.

The audiogram. A professional fitting shapes amplification to the exact frequencies you have lost. Certus One applies a preset profile. ClearVoice SpeechLift lifts speech frequencies and softens background noise, which suits the common pattern of age-related loss, but it is not your curve.

Someone to go back to. In-person aftercare has real value: retuning, wax removal, replacement domes, an annual check. Certus gives you email support and a 90-day window.

Where it genuinely wins

Time. There is no referral, no appointment and no waiting list.

Money at risk. €179.99 with a 90-day trial is a small bet if what you want to find out is whether amplification helps you at all.

Starting at all. People wait an average of ten years between noticing a hearing problem and acting on it (RNID, Hearing Matters). A cheap device that gets worn beats an expensive one that never gets bought.

What we would tell you to do

Get a hearing test anyway. Most high-street chains offer one free with no obligation, and knowing your audiogram is useful whatever you buy afterwards.
If your loss is more than moderate, do not buy this. Over-the-counter devices are capped on output by design (US Food and Drug Administration). Go the fitted route.
Check what you are entitled to first. If your PRSI record qualifies, the Department of Social Protection pays up to €500 per hearing aid, €1,000 a pair, once every four years.
If you mainly want conversation at home, on the phone and one-to-one, that is the case our 1287 reviews describe working well.

Frequently asked questions

How much cheaper is Certus One than a fitted pair in Ireland?: Certus One is €179.99 a pair. HSE (medical card or under 18): Free. Treatment Benefit Scheme: €1,000 off a pair. Private, no grant: Low thousands a pair. The trade is the audiogram, the professional fitting and in-person aftercare.
Is a cheap over-the-counter device as good as an expensive fitted one?: Not in noisy environments, and not fitted to your hearing. In quiet rooms, one-to-one conversation and on the phone, the gap is smaller than the price difference suggests. A 2026 meta-analysis of 15 studies and 774 participants found self-fitting over-the-counter devices performed comparably to audiologist-fitted devices on patient-reported measures, although the authors rate the certainty of that evidence as low.
Should I use the Treatment Benefit Scheme instead?: Check your PRSI entitlement first. €1,000 towards a fitted pair, from an audiologist, beats a €179.99 self-fitted device if you qualify.
Do I need a hearing test before buying an over-the-counter device?: You are not required to have one, but it is worth doing. A hearing test tells you whether your loss is inside the mild-to-moderate range these devices are built for, and if it is not, no over-the-counter device at any price will help.