In this paper, we compare emerging nanowire electrodes (100 nm wide x 50 nm high x 45 mu m long) against state-of-the-art commercial ultramicroelectrodes (12.5 mu m diameter) in terms of improvements in current density and also compatibility with rapid electroanalysis. Analyte diffusion profiles at ultramicrodisc and nanowire electrodes were simulated for a variety of scan rates (50-5000 mV.s(-1)) and corresponding experimental measurements were undertaken. Significant enhancements in applied voltage scan rate (up to 300 fold increase) were observed (permitting analysis times as low as 30-50 milliseconds) while still maintaining steady-state conditions, when using nanowire electrodes. Nanowire electrodes also exhibited a tenfold improvement in current densities when compared to the ultramicrodisc electrodes. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.