diff --git a/app/css/hyperterm.css b/app/css/hyperterm.css
index f4610ed9..39abf185 100644
--- a/app/css/hyperterm.css
+++ b/app/css/hyperterm.css
@@ -63,3 +63,23 @@ header {
 .resize-indicator.showing {
   opacity: 1;
 }
+
+.update-indicator {
+  background: rgba(255, 51, 76, .8);
+  padding: 6px 14px;
+  color: #fff;
+  font: 11px Menlo;
+  position: fixed;
+  bottom: 20px;
+  right: 20px;
+  opacity: 0;
+  transition: opacity 150ms ease-in;
+}
+
+.update-indicator a {
+  color: #fff;
+}
+
+.update-indicator.showing {
+  opacity: 1;
+}
diff --git a/app/hyperterm.js b/app/hyperterm.js
index b44b24ed..4d2d3fa8 100644
--- a/app/hyperterm.js
+++ b/app/hyperterm.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import classes from 'classnames';
 import getTextMetrics from './text-metrics';
 import shallowCompare from 'react-addons-shallow-compare';
 import React, { Component } from 'react';
+import UpdateChecker from './update-checker';
 
 export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
   constructor () {
@@ -19,7 +20,8 @@ export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
       active: null,
       activeMarkers: [],
       mac: /Mac/.test(navigator.userAgent),
-      resizeIndicatorShowing: false
+      resizeIndicatorShowing: false,
+      updateVersion: null
     };
 
     // we set this to true when the first tab
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@ export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
 
     this.onResize = this.onResize.bind(this);
     this.onChange = this.onChange.bind(this);
+    this.openExternal = this.openExternal.bind(this);
     this.focusActive = this.focusActive.bind(this);
     this.onHeaderMouseDown = this.onHeaderMouseDown.bind(this);
 
@@ -80,9 +83,19 @@ export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
       <div className={classes('resize-indicator', { showing: this.state.resizeIndicatorShowing })}>
         { this.state.cols }x{ this.state.rows }
       </div>
+      <div className={classes('update-indicator', { showing: null !== this.state.updateVersion })}>
+        Update available (<b>{ this.state.updateVersion }</b>).
+        {' '}
+        <a href='https://hyperterm.now.sh' onClick={this.openExternal} target='_blank'>Download</a>
+      </div>
     </div>;
   }
 
+  openExternal (ev) {
+    ev.preventDefault();
+    this.rpc.emit('open external', { url: ev.target.href });
+  }
+
   requestTab () {
     this.rpc.emit('new', this.getDimensions());
   }
@@ -156,6 +169,7 @@ export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
 
   componentDidMount () {
     this.rpc = new RPC();
+    this.updateChecker = new UpdateChecker(this.onUpdateAvailable.bind(this));
     this.setState(this.getDimensions());
 
     // open a new tab upon mounting
@@ -218,6 +232,10 @@ export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
     Mousetrap.bind('command+alt+right', this.moveRight);
   }
 
+  onUpdateAvailable (updateVersion) {
+    this.setState({ updateVersion });
+  }
+
   moveTo (n) {
     if (this.state.sessions[n]) {
       this.setActive(n);
@@ -359,5 +377,6 @@ export default class HyperTerm extends Component {
     this.rpc.destroy();
     clearTimeout(this.resizeIndicatorTimeout);
     Mousetrap.reset();
+    this.updateChecker.destroy();
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/package.json b/app/package.json
index b1e51117..7f9c90f8 100644
--- a/app/package.json
+++ b/app/package.json
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@
     "mousetrap": "1.6.0",
     "classnames": "2.2.5",
     "react": "15.1.0",
-    "react-dom": "15.1.0"
+    "react-dom": "15.1.0",
+    "semver-compare": "^1.0.0",
+    "json-loader": "^0.5.4"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "eslint": "2.13.1",
@@ -30,10 +32,19 @@
     ],
     "rules": {
       "yoda": 0,
-      "semi": [2, "always"],
+      "semi": [
+        2,
+        "always"
+      ],
       "no-unused-vars": 2,
       "no-extra-semi": 2,
-      "semi-spacing": [2, { "before": false, "after": true }],
+      "semi-spacing": [
+        2,
+        {
+          "before": false,
+          "after": true
+        }
+      ],
       "react/jsx-uses-react": 1,
       "react/jsx-uses-vars": 1
     },
@@ -54,4 +65,4 @@
     "lint": "eslint *.js",
     "build": "NODE_ENV=production webpack"
   }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/update-checker.js b/app/update-checker.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e8a907b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/update-checker.js
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*global fetch:false*/
+import { version as currentVersion } from '../package';
+import compare from 'semver-compare';
+
+export default class UpdateChecker {
+
+  constructor (fn, { interval = 5000 } = {}) {
+    this.callback = fn;
+    this.interval = interval;
+    this.check();
+    this.lastKnown = null;
+  }
+
+  check () {
+    const done = () => {
+      this.checkTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+        this.check();
+      }, this.interval);
+    };
+
+    console.log('checking for update');
+    fetch('https://hyperterm.now.sh/data.json')
+    .then((res) => {
+      if (200 !== res.status) {
+        console.error('Update check error. Status (%d)', res.status);
+        return done();
+      }
+
+      res.json()
+      .then(({ version }) => {
+        if (this.lastKnown !== version) {
+          this.lastKnown = version;
+
+          if (1 === compare(version, currentVersion)) {
+            console.log('update found');
+            this.callback(version);
+          } else {
+            console.log('no update. latest:', version);
+          }
+        }
+        done();
+      })
+      .catch((err) => {
+        console.error('Update JSON parse error', err.stack);
+        done();
+      });
+    }).catch((err) => {
+      console.error('Update check error', err.stack);
+      done();
+    });
+  }
+
+  destroy () {
+    this.aborted = true;
+    clearTimeout(this.checkTimer);
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/webpack.config.js b/app/webpack.config.js
index 8b427534..fa00d3c4 100644
--- a/app/webpack.config.js
+++ b/app/webpack.config.js
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ module.exports = {
           'babel-loader'
         ]
       },
+      {
+        test: /\.json/,
+        loader: 'json-loader'
+      },
       {
         test: /\.css$/,
         loader: 'style-loader!css-loader'
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index f29d80f9..59f4e77e 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-const { app, BrowserWindow, Menu } = require('electron');
+const { app, BrowserWindow, shell, Menu } = require('electron');
 const createRPC = require('./rpc');
 const Session = require('./session');
 const genUid = require('uid2');
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ app.on('ready', () => {
       sessions.get(uid).write(data);
     });
 
+    rpc.on('open external', ({ url }) => {
+      shell.openExternal(url);
+    });
+
     const deleteSessions = () => {
       sessions.forEach((session, key) => {
         session.removeAllListeners();