Review · Hearing & audio
Hearing Number review
A free hearing check created by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that gives you one Hearing Number per ear.
By the HearSmart research desk · Updated November 7, 2026
- Performance (40%)
- 7.6
- Ease of use (25%)
- 9.2
- Value (35%)
- 9.6
Hearing Number takes the opposite approach to a full audiogram: it boils your result down to one number per ear, the softest sound you can hear, on a scale from -10 to 100 decibels. The app was created by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the App Store lists Mimi Hearing Technologies as the developer. It checks the noise level around you first, then measures four frequencies in each ear, which takes about five minutes with headphones in a quiet space. Higher numbers mean sounds must be louder for you to hear them. The app keeps earlier results so you can recheck and watch for change, and the description lists clear warning signs, such as a gap of more than 10 dB between ears, that call for a health care provider. There is no advertising, no in-app purchase and no product recommendation. The trade-off is depth: four frequencies per ear gives less detail than Mimi or Apple.
Who it is for
People who want a simple, ad-free result they can remember and recheck.
Price
Free; no ads or in-app purchases.
How's your hearing? Free
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 7, 2026.
Key features
- Measures your hearing at four frequencies in each ear
- Checks the noise level around you before testing
- Gives a Hearing Number for each ear, from -10 to 100 dB
- Saves previous results so you can track change
- No advertising, in-app purchases or product recommendations
Strengths and weaknesses
- Strength: Built by a public health school, with no sales pitch
- Strength: One number per ear is easy to understand
- Strength: 4.9 average from about 600 App Store ratings
- Weakness: Four frequencies per ear is fewer than full audiogram apps
- Weakness: No detailed audiogram chart is described
- Weakness: Requires iOS 16.4 or later
Key facts
- Test time: About 5 minutes
- Frequencies: 4 per ear
- Result range: -10 to 100 dB
- Made by: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Price: Free, no in-app purchases
Where it ranks
Hearing Number is No. 2 in our Best Hearing Test Apps verdict.
Alternatives we scored
Visit hearingnumber.org · Questions or corrections: editorial@hearsmart.org