diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/Tcp.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/Tcp.scala
index 989c1e05f1..8c5150cc83 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/Tcp.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/Tcp.scala
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ object Tcp extends ExtensionKey[TcpExt] {
      * [[akka.io.Inet.SocketOption]] to enable or disable TCP_NODELAY
      * (disable or enable Nagle's algorithm)
      *
+     * Please note, that TCP_NODELAY is enabled by default.
+     *
      * For more information see [[java.net.Socket.setTcpNoDelay]]
      */
     case class TcpNoDelay(on: Boolean) extends SocketOption {
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/TcpConnection.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/TcpConnection.scala
index 0af6497668..ec866ae75f 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/TcpConnection.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/io/TcpConnection.scala
@@ -109,6 +109,8 @@ private[io] abstract class TcpConnection(val channel: SocketChannel,
 
   /** used in subclasses to start the common machinery above once a channel is connected */
   def completeConnect(commander: ActorRef, options: immutable.Traversable[SocketOption]): Unit = {
+    // Turn off Nagle's algorithm by default
+    channel.socket.setTcpNoDelay(true)
     options.foreach(_.afterConnect(channel.socket))
 
     commander ! Connected(
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/java/io.rst b/akka-docs/rst/java/io.rst
index e6984de46d..ac78ee052e 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/java/io.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/java/io.rst
@@ -127,6 +127,11 @@ When connecting, it is also possible to set various socket options or specify a
 
 .. includecode:: code/docs/io/IODocTest.java#connect-with-options
 
+.. note::
+  The SO_NODELAY (TCP_NODELAY on Windows) socket option defaults to true in Akka, independently of the OS default
+  settings. This setting disables Nagle's algorithm considerably improving latency for most applications. This setting
+  could be overridden by passing ``SO.TcpNoDelay(false)`` in the list of socket options of the ``Connect`` message.
+
 After issuing the ``Connect`` command the TCP manager spawns a worker actor to handle commands related to the
 connection. This worker actor will reveal itself by replying with a ``Connected`` message to the actor who sent the
 ``Connect`` command.
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/io.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/io.rst
index e6fd0d1456..f4041be50d 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/io.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/io.rst
@@ -176,6 +176,11 @@ When connecting, it is also possible to set various socket options or specify a
 
   IO(Tcp) ! Connect(remoteSocketAddress, Some(localSocketAddress), List(SO.KeepAlive(true)))
 
+.. note::
+  The SO_NODELAY (TCP_NODELAY on Windows) socket option defaults to true in Akka, independently of the OS default
+  settings. This setting disables Nagle's algorithm considerably improving latency for most applications. This setting
+  could be overridden by passing ``SO.TcpNoDelay(false)`` in the list of socket options of the ``Connect`` message.
+
 After issuing the ``Connect`` command the TCP manager spawns a worker actor to handle commands related to the
 connection. This worker actor will reveal itself by replying with a ``Connected`` message to the actor who sent the
 ``Connect`` command.