diff --git a/assets/css/browser-solidity.css b/assets/css/browser-solidity.css
index 03a196f7eb..3379007d20 100644
--- a/assets/css/browser-solidity.css
+++ b/assets/css/browser-solidity.css
@@ -257,6 +257,19 @@ body {
     padding-left: 6em;
 }
 
+#settingsView button {
+    background-color: #C6CFF7;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    padding: 0.25em;
+    margin-bottom: .5em;
+    color: black;
+    border:0 none;
+    border-radius: 3px;
+    width: 8em;
+    margin-right: 1em;
+    cursor: pointer;
+}
+
 #publishView button {
     background-color: #C6CFF7;
     font-size: 12px;
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index d874250be6..04e2d46a11 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@
 						<div class="crow">
 							<label for="editorWrap"><input id="editorWrap" type="checkbox">Text Wrap</label>
 							<label for="optimize"><input id="optimize" type="checkbox">Enable Optimization</label>
+							<label for="autoCompile"><input id="autoCompile" type="checkbox" checked>Auto Compile</label>
+							<button id="compile" title="Compile source code"><i class="fa fa-cog"></i> Compile</button>
 						</div>
 					</div>
 					<div id="publishView">
diff --git a/src/app.js b/src/app.js
index 2e09d2b067..73339bf781 100644
--- a/src/app.js
+++ b/src/app.js
@@ -436,6 +436,42 @@ var run = function () {
 
   var renderer = new Renderer(editor, executionContext.web3(), updateFiles, udapp, executionContext, formalVerification.event, compiler.event); // eslint-disable-line
 
+  var autoCompile = document.querySelector('#autoCompile').checked;
+
+  document.querySelector('#autoCompile').addEventListener('change', function () {
+    autoCompile = document.querySelector('#autoCompile').checked;
+  });
+
+  var previousInput = '';
+  var compileTimeout = null;
+
+  function editorOnChange () {
+    var input = editor.getValue();
+    if (input === '') {
+      editor.setCacheFileContent('');
+      return;
+    }
+    if (input === previousInput) {
+      return;
+    }
+    previousInput = input;
+
+    if (!autoCompile) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (compileTimeout) {
+      window.clearTimeout(compileTimeout);
+    }
+    compileTimeout = window.setTimeout(compiler.compile, 300);
+  }
+
+  editor.onChangeSetup(editorOnChange);
+
+  $('#compile').click(function () {
+    compiler.compile();
+  });
+
   executionContext.event.register('contextChanged', this, function (context) {
     compiler.compile();
   });
@@ -449,6 +485,7 @@ var run = function () {
   });
 
   compiler.event.register('compilerLoaded', this, function (version) {
+    previousInput = '';
     setVersionText(version);
     compiler.compile();
     initWithQueryParams();
diff --git a/src/app/compiler.js b/src/app/compiler.js
index e182717835..338f0ce324 100644
--- a/src/app/compiler.js
+++ b/src/app/compiler.js
@@ -17,31 +17,9 @@ function Compiler (editor, queryParams, handleGithubCall, updateFiles) {
   var compileJSON;
   var compilerAcceptsMultipleFiles;
 
-  var previousInput = '';
-
   var cachedRemoteFiles = {};
   var worker = null;
 
-  var compileTimeout = null;
-
-  function onChange () {
-    var input = editor.getValue();
-    if (input === '') {
-      editor.setCacheFileContent('');
-      return;
-    }
-    if (input === previousInput) {
-      return;
-    }
-    previousInput = input;
-    if (compileTimeout) {
-      window.clearTimeout(compileTimeout);
-    }
-    compileTimeout = window.setTimeout(compile, 300);
-  }
-
-  editor.onChangeSetup(onChange);
-
   var compile = function (missingInputs) {
     editor.clearAnnotations();
     self.event.trigger('compilationStarted', []);
@@ -67,7 +45,6 @@ function Compiler (editor, queryParams, handleGithubCall, updateFiles) {
   this.setCompileJSON = setCompileJSON; // this is exposed for testing
 
   function onCompilerLoaded (version) {
-    previousInput = '';
     self.event.trigger('compilerLoaded', [version]);
   }