Which Speedcubing Timer Should You Buy? Complete Timer Comparison
If you practise speedcubing regularly, a physical timer is one of the most useful accessories you can own. While a computer or phone timer is perfectly adequate when you are starting out, using a proper speedcubing timer allows you to practise starts and stops in a way that much more closely resembles a competition.
There are now considerably more options than there used to be. Speed Stacks timers remain the standard used at official competitions, but brands including QiYi, MoYu, FanXin and ShengShou produce much cheaper alternatives. There is also a growing selection of smart timers capable of automatically recording your solves or providing additional training features.
There is now another major consideration: from 2 January 2027, the Speed Stacks G5 in 4-pad mode will become mandatory for official WCA attempts that use a speedsolving timer.
So, which timer should you buy? In this guide, we compare some of the most popular options, from sub-£10 timers for beginners to smart timers and the Speed Stacks G5.
Browse all speedcubing timers available from Speedcubing.org
Why is the WCA switching to the Speed Stacks G5?
Historically, WCA competitions have used several generations of Speed Stacks timers. Depending on the equipment available at a particular competition, competitors could encounter G3, G4 or G5 timers.
That is changing.
The World Cube Association announced in August 2026 that from 2 January 2027, official WCA attempts using a speedsolving timer will require a Speed Stacks G5 operating in 4-pad mode.
The change is intended to make the starting procedure easier to enforce and follows several years of controversy surrounding a technique commonly known as "sliding".
What is timer sliding?
With a traditional two-pad speedcubing timer, a competitor starts the timer by placing both hands on the sensors, waiting for the green light and then removing both hands.
Sliding exploits the way the timer detects this start. Rather than clearly lifting their hands away from the sensors before reaching for the puzzle, a competitor can slide their hands towards the cube. In extreme cases, this can allow the competitor to begin picking up or interacting with the puzzle before the timer has actually registered the start.
The problem is that this can happen extremely quickly and can be almost impossible for a judge to identify reliably in real time. Slow-motion or frame-by-frame video can reveal questionable starts afterwards, but reviewing every solve on video is obviously not a practical solution for normal competitions.
This has been particularly controversial in very fast events such as 2x2, Pyraminx and Skewb, where hundredths of a second can make a significant difference to the final result.
The G5's 4-pad mode changes the starting procedure by requiring the additional sensors to be activated, making this type of start much more difficult to perform.
This means that if you are a serious WCA competitor, there is now a strong reason to practise using a G5 before the new rules come into effect.
Speed Stacks G5 Timer
If you regularly compete in WCA competitions, particularly if you compete at a high level in fast events, the Speed Stacks G5 Timer is now the most obvious option.
From January 2027, this is the timer and starting configuration you will encounter for official WCA attempts.
The G5 can operate with four pads rather than the conventional two. For speedcubers, this was previously largely irrelevant because WCA competitions used the timer's 2-pad mode. Under the new regulations, however, 4-pad mode will become the standard.
Practising with a G5 therefore allows you to become accustomed to the exact starting procedure that you will need to use in competition.
The main disadvantage is the price. At £32.95, the G5 costs substantially more than most timers produced by speedcube manufacturers. If you are a beginner who simply wants to record your times at home, you certainly don't need to spend this much.
For a serious WCA competitor, however, the G5 has become much easier to justify.
View the Speed Stacks G5 Timer
Speed Stacks G4 Timer
The Speed Stacks G4 Timer was the previous generation and has been widely used at WCA competitions for many years.
For speedcubing purposes, however, it operates much more like the conventional two-pad timers in this comparison. It does not provide the four-pad starting procedure that is driving the WCA's move towards the G5.
This puts the G4 in a slightly awkward position for someone buying a timer today. It remains a high-quality timer and will be familiar to many experienced competitors, but it is currently just as expensive as the G5 while not providing the 4-pad setup that will be required from 2027.
Unless you specifically want a G4, there are generally cheaper options for ordinary home practice, while the G5 makes more sense if your objective is to replicate future WCA competition conditions.
View the Speed Stacks G4 Timer
QiYi Speedcubing Timer
For most cubers who don't specifically need to practise the G5 four-pad starting procedure, the QiYi Speedcubing Timer is one of the most attractive conventional options.
At just £11.95, it costs dramatically less than a Speed Stacks timer while performing essentially the same basic job for home practice. Put both hands on the sensors, wait for the timer to become ready, release your hands and solve.
It is also extremely durable. As demonstrated rather unnecessarily in our video comparison, our QiYi Timer even survived being thrown at a wall!
The QiYi Timer has become one of the most popular alternatives to Speed Stacks timers, and it is easy to see why. It is inexpensive, simple and does exactly what most speedcubers need a timer to do.
For a newer cuber who wants a proper physical timer without spending very much money, this is an excellent place to start.
View the QiYi Speedcubing Timer
ShengShou Timer
If price is the overriding consideration, a ShengShou Timer is one of the cheapest options available.
There are several versions in different designs and colours, with options available for under £10.
It doesn't have the sophisticated features of a smart timer or the competition relevance of the Speed Stacks G5, but it doesn't need to. If all you want is a pair of hand sensors and a display that records your solve time, it does the job.
For a beginner buying their first timer, that may be everything you need.
There are also other inexpensive conventional timers available from brands such as FanXin, YJ and MoYu, giving you plenty of choices if you simply want an affordable timer for home practice.
Browse budget speedcubing timers
What about smart speedcubing timers?
Smart timers occupy a slightly different category.
Instead of simply displaying your time, smart timers can offer features such as automatic solve recording, statistics, Bluetooth connectivity and integration with smartcube apps.
If you regularly complete hundreds of solves, automatically recording your times can be particularly useful because it removes the need to manually enter every result into your phone or computer.
There are several different approaches to smart timing.
Zeal Timer
The Zeal Timer is unusual because its additional features don't require you to connect the timer to an app on your phone.
This makes it particularly suitable for children who don't yet have their own smartphones, as well as anyone who wants additional timing and training functionality without needing to keep a phone next to them throughout a practice session.
The timer itself can provide additional information and store results, giving it much more functionality than a basic conventional timer while remaining independent from a smartphone.
Its physical design is also quite different from the traditional Stackmat-style timer, making it an interesting alternative to the more familiar options.
View the Zeal Timer and other smart timers
GAN Halo Timer
The GAN Halo Timer connects to GAN's CubeStation app, allowing your times to be recorded digitally.
CubeStation is one of the most developed smartcubing platforms available, particularly when the timer is combined with one of GAN's Bluetooth smartcubes. The app offers a variety of statistics and training features that go well beyond what you can do with a conventional timer.
The main disadvantage is price. The GAN Halo is considerably more expensive than smart timer options from QiYi and MoYu.
For somebody who already owns GAN smartcubes and regularly uses CubeStation, however, the integration with the same ecosystem can make the Halo particularly appealing.
View the GAN Halo Timer and other smart timers
QiYi Smart Timer
The QiYi Smart Timer provides an inexpensive way to add Bluetooth connectivity to your practice setup.
It connects to compatible speedcubing apps so that your solve times can be recorded automatically instead of having to type each result into your phone manually.
The timer has a noticeably different design from a conventional Stackmat-style timer and also comes with a phone holder, which is useful when using it alongside the QiYi Smart Player app.
At £14.95, it is only slightly more expensive than a conventional QiYi Timer, making it an interesting choice for anyone who wants automatic solve recording without spending a large amount on their setup.
The app itself is relatively simple and easy to use, so you don't need an elaborate smartcube setup to take advantage of it.
MoYu AI Timer
Finally, there is the MoYu AI Timer, which connects via Bluetooth to the MoYu WCU Cube app.
At £11.95, it is currently priced similarly to many conventional timers, despite offering Bluetooth connectivity.
The WCU Cube app has improved considerably since its earlier versions and provides a range of features for recording and analysing your practice.
It also includes an interesting in-person head-to-head feature, which can make the MoYu AI Timer particularly useful if you regularly practise with another speedcuber.
At its current price, it is worth considering even if you don't expect to use all of its smart functionality.
Which speedcubing timer should you buy?
There isn't really a single timer that makes sense for every speedcuber.
If you are completely new to speedcubing and simply want a physical timer, there is little reason to spend a large amount of money. A ShengShou timer provides one of the cheapest ways to get started, while the QiYi Speedcubing Timer is a durable and inexpensive conventional option that should be more than sufficient for most home practice.
If you want your times recorded automatically or enjoy using apps and statistics to analyse your practice, smart timers become much more interesting. The MoYu AI Timer and QiYi Smart Timer provide relatively inexpensive ways into smart timing, while the GAN Halo makes more sense for cubers already invested in GAN's CubeStation ecosystem. The Zeal Timer takes a different approach by providing additional functionality without requiring a smartphone.
The situation is different for serious competitors.
With the WCA moving to the Speed Stacks G5 in 4-pad mode from 2 January 2027, practising on a G5 will allow you to become familiar with the exact starting procedure that you will encounter at official competitions.
This is likely to be most important for competitors in extremely fast events such as 2x2, Pyraminx and Skewb, where the starting procedure represents a much greater proportion of the total solve time.
That doesn't suddenly make every other timer obsolete. For ordinary home practice, a £10–£15 timer can still do everything that many speedcubers actually need.
But if you compete regularly and want your practice setup to replicate official competition conditions as closely as possible, the Speed Stacks G5 now has a major advantage over every other timer.
Watch our speedcubing timer comparison
We've tested these timers side-by-side in our full video comparison, looking at their features, prices and the type of speedcuber each timer is most suitable for.
Whether you want the cheapest possible timer, automatic Bluetooth solve recording or the new WCA competition standard, there are now more choices than ever.
