Comparison

Five Timer vs Qubo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Five Timer

This app provides a modern and powerful timer for solving puzzles, supporting all WCA puzzles with customizable sessions and random scramblers. It offers innovative features like drop-to-stop and time tinting, along with detailed statistics and universal compatibility for iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Universal App for iPhone and iPad
  • WCA puzzle support with custom sessions
  • Random state scramblers for multiple puzzles
  • Innovative 'Drop to stop' timer control
  • Time tinting for performance comparison
  • Optional 15-second inspection
  • Detailed statistics and averages
Features
Read full description

FiveTimer is your cube timer with all the strength where it matters. Modern and updated regularly, FiveTimer has been developed and maintained since 2011. Today, it's full of power-user features you won't see in any other timer including: • Universal App for the iPhone and iPad. • Puzzle support for all WCA puzzles across multiple sessions and custom sessions you can configure yourself. - Random state scramblers include 2x2, 3x3, Square-1, Pyraminx, and Skewb. - Blindfold scrambles* • Drop to stop, an innovative and natural way to stop the timer. • Time tint, times colored based on how they fare to time compares to the session* • Hold to start or tap to start with an optional 15 second inspection. • Landscape support for iPhones* • Statistics for averages of 5, 12, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 • Supports SplitView on iPads • Voice options to read the times of give inspection alerts* • Hardware keyboard shortcuts including start and stop with spacebar. * feature exclusive to FiveTimer

About

Qubo

This app provides a distraction-free timer for puzzle cube enthusiasts to track and improve their solving times. It features precision timing, automatic personal best tracking, and a clean interface to help users focus on their performance.

Highlights
  • Precision timing to hundredths of a second
  • Hold-to-start system
  • Automatic personal best tracking
  • Clean, minimalist interface
  • Progress saving for all records
  • Supports multiple cube types
Features
Read full description

Qubo is a speedcubing timer that stays out of the way. Long-press to ready it, release to start, then tap anywhere on the screen to stop — no aiming for a small button while the clock is running. COMPETITION SCRAMBLES Scrambles for 3×3, 2×2 and Pyraminx are drawn at random from every state the puzzle can reach — the same standard used at official competitions. 4×4 and Windmill get random-move scrambles with redundant turns filtered out. Tap the scramble to see it as a full sequence of moves. SESSION STATS See how a practice run actually went: your personal best, a trend line across the session, and Ao5 and Ao12 averages for each puzzle. Every solve is kept with the scramble it was given and any +2 or DNF, stored on your device. PERSONAL BESTS Each puzzle tracks its own record, and your bests follow you across devices through iCloud. New records get the celebration they deserve. PUZZLES 3×3 is free, always. 2×2, 4×4, Windmill and Pyraminx each unlock with a one-time purchase — no subscriptions, ever. Curious about a locked puzzle? Watch a short video to earn free solves and try it before you buy. Whether you're learning your first algorithm or chasing sub-10, Qubo gives you competition-grade timing without the clutter.

Screenshots

Five Timer4 screens
Qubo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Qubo at Free against Five Timer's $1.99. Qubo also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Five Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Qubo is free to download; Five Timer costs $1.99 up front. Qubo sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Five Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Qubo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five Timer has 34 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Five Timer's written reviews are positive against 75% of Qubo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Five Timer ships an update every 3 months, Qubo every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and August 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Five Timer versus Qubo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive TimerQubo
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (34 ratings)4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperT.WrightDigitalSandbox, LLC

Customer experience

Five Timer

All ratings34 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral8.8%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral8.8%
Negative10.3%

Qubo

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Five Timer

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • Application and screen display not compatible with iPhone 17
  • Setting tools overlapping with time and battery on iPhone 17 Pro
  • Top control bar overlaps system status bar on newer iPhones with Dynamic Island
  • Top bar inaccessible unless in landscape mode on iPhones with Dynamic Island
  • Buttons at the top are at the same height as the dynamic island, making them unpressable
Show 18 more
  • Buttons on the top are obstructed by the notch and unpressable
  • Very easy to reset session, accidentally resetting all solves
  • Settings take forever to load after many solves
  • App crashes when trying to click on 'best avg'
  • App crashes upon opening
  • Tabbing out of the program causes it to refuse to tab back in
  • App crashes after one time on iOS 6
  • Drop to stop feature does not work while hiding solve time
  • App crashes upon opening, even after reinstall
  • Update issue: touch screen no longer stops timer as well
  • Drop to stop does not stop as well after update
  • Timer will just stop when not near phone
  • Starting a solve before 10 secs of inspection left results in DNF
  • App crashes every time upon opening
  • App won't open after update
  • Keeps displaying dnf instead of timing properly even with drop to stop turned off
  • Reset button barely works, often starts timer instead
  • Spacebar use with keyboard causes other buttons to start timer again

Requested features

19 requests
  • FTO scrambles for new WCA event
  • Show expected end result of scramble
  • 3x3 OH session
  • Date and time for export reports
  • Scramble graphic included
Show 14 more
  • Show date/time for each solve
  • 3x3 OH stock session
  • Add custom notation for custom puzzles
  • Preview scramble option on stock puzzles
  • Random state clock scrambles
  • Generate drawing of scramble
  • Average of 100
  • Bigger text for time on iPad
  • Option to disable red flash during inspection
  • Graph on iPad version
  • Ability to internally save sessions
  • Support for Megaminx
  • Customization of colors or font sizes
  • 15 sec countdown (like iiTimer)

Qubo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Five Timer

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Qubo

One-time5
  • Unlock 2×2 Cube$0.99
  • Unlock Pyraminx Cube$0.99
  • Unlock 4×4 Cube$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Unlock Windmill Cube$0.99
  • Unlock All Cubes$2.99

Questions

Is Five Timer free?
Five Timer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Qubo free?
Qubo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Five Timer or Qubo?
Qubo is rated higher. Five Timer averages 4.4 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Qubo averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Five Timer or Qubo have ads?
Qubo shows ads; Five Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Five Timer or Qubo?
Five Timer ships an update every 3 months, and Qubo every 2 months. Most recently, Five Timer was updated on September 12, 2026 and Qubo on August 5, 2026.

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