Godox V1 Pro for Canon is a cheap and powerful flash than Canon flashes.

Just got my R5 Mark II and honestly, the EL-1 is the best hot shoe style flash I've ever used except you may have to mortgage your first born to buy it. It can recycle instantly and that's no joke. I've been using it on a boom arm though - I think the EL-1 is too heavy to put on top of your camera. The performance is incredible but yeah, that price tag...

So I totally agree that the third-party route is the way to go for value, but you really gotta prioritize how the mount interacts with that new multi-function shoe. Honestly, the biggest issue with the R5 II isn't just the TTL accuracy, it's the physical connection and thermal management during high-speed sync. If the foot design isnt perfect, you risk dropping the signal right when you need it. If you're looking for data on how different units actually hold up under pressure, check out these spots:
- FlashHavoc: Best place for deep dives into trigger reliability and IGBT circuitry specs.
- The Digital Picture: They have awesome standardized charts for recycle times and color consistency across different brands.
- Canon’s official Multi-Function Shoe compatibility list to see which adapters you might need for older kits. Basically, just make sure whatever you pick has a reinforced metal foot. If the fit is even a tiny bit loose, you're gonna get misfires or potentially damage those tiny pins in the R5 II's socket. Tbh, reliability is everything when your doing paid event work and dont have time to fiddle with a loose connection.

Can vouch for this

Works great for me