Review
LACE AI Pro is the auditory training program hearing care offices know best. Here is what it is, what it does well, what to know before you pay, and who it fits best.
LACE is an auditory training brand that dates back to the mid-2000s; the current AI Pro app is a rebuild from the last few years. It adapts difficulty to your performance, so the exercises get harder or easier as you go.
It is distributed through more than 1,000 hearing clinics. In April 2026 it expanded to 10 languages, and it added a feature for practicing with recorded family voices.
Since June 2026 there is also a web version. Neurotone says you can run the full program in a browser with nothing to install and no phone needed. You still log in with an existing account, so this changes the hearing device you practice on, not how you get access.
Hear it
The same word, different speakers
The word is "coat" every time. Only the speaker changes.
Same word, different speakers. Notice which ones take you a beat longer.
Start with the research, because it needs a careful reading. Dozens of studies were published on LACE over the years — but they tested the earlier CD and desktop versions, not the AI Pro app sold today. That history says the training approach has been studied a lot. It does not test the current app.
The adaptive engine is well built, the language support is broad, and the family-voice feature is a thoughtful touch. People who get through setup and use it consistently report real benefit in group conversations, which is one of the hardest listening situations there is.
Published studies exist, but they tested earlier versions of the program
Adaptive difficulty that responds to how you do
10 languages and practice with recorded family voices
Its published studies were run on earlier, pre-app versions of the program.
The listening check runs in a browser, with no account.
Word practice: press play, then choose what you heard.
Where practice starts each day.
Three things. First, the price: about $499 as a one-time purchase. That is a lot for one person to cover out of pocket.
Second, access. You register through a hearing care provider rather than downloading it and starting on your own. Third, stability: public app store reviews mention friction with setup and login, and some flag stability complaints. Weigh those against the strong reports from people who get past the early hurdles.
Price: about $499, one time
Access: registration through a provider, not a solo download
Per public app store reviews: setup, login, and stability complaints
LACE fits best when your audiologist provides it as part of your care and tracks your progress with you. In that setting the price hurdle and the registration step mostly disappear, and you get structured practice with someone guiding you.
It also fits people who want a program their provider runs with them and do not mind the setup.
If the price or the provider step is a barrier, you have options. Several free and lower-cost apps let you try auditory training first and decide later.
We keep a fuller comparison on our LACE alternatives page. Whatever you choose, give it a couple of weeks of steady use before you judge it.
There is also a difference in when you pay. A one-time purchase through a provider is paid in full before you learn whether you will keep practicing. A free version with a trial means you find that out first. SoundSteps is ours, so weigh that accordingly: the free version needs no card, and your first 7 days include full access.
FAQ
It is about $499 as a one-time purchase. Some hearing care providers include it in a care plan at no extra cost to the person using it.
You register through a hearing care provider rather than downloading it directly. Ask your audiologist whether they offer it.
Its published evidence comes from earlier versions of the program, before the current app existed. Whether the price is worth it depends on whether you will use it steadily and whether your provider covers it.
Public app store reviews mention setup, login, and stability friction. People who get through it report real benefit in group conversations.
Free and lower-cost apps like Hearoes, eargym, Cochlear CoPilot, and SoundSteps let you try auditory training without the upfront cost or provider step.
Related reading
Take the free SoundSteps listening check and see where your practice could start. No account, no provider step.
