diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/routing-test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/routing-test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6f0f391ba1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/routing-test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+import { createSearchClient } from '../../../test/mock/createSearchClient';
+import { wait } from '../../../test/utils/wait';
+import historyRouter from '../routers/history';
+import instantsearch from '../..';
+import { connectSearchBox } from '../../connectors';
+
+const writeDelay = 10;
+const writeWait = 1.5 * writeDelay;
+
+// This test may tear and not execute the tests in the right order.
+// It seems to be related to a timing issue but we are not sure.
+
+describe('routing', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    window.history.pushState({}, '', 'http://localhost/');
+    jest.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  describe('writeOnDispose=true', () => {
+    test('cleans URL on dispose', async () => {
+      const pushState = jest.spyOn(window.history, 'pushState');
+
+      const search = instantsearch({
+        indexName: 'indexName',
+        searchClient: createSearchClient(),
+        routing: {
+          router: historyRouter({
+            writeDelay,
+          }),
+        },
+      });
+
+      search.addWidgets([connectSearchBox(() => {})({})]);
+
+      search.start();
+
+      // Check URL has been initialized
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual('');
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(0);
+
+      // Trigger an update - push a change
+      search.renderState.indexName!.searchBox!.refine('Apple');
+
+      // Check URL has been updated
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual(
+        `?${encodeURI('indexName[query]=Apple')}`
+      );
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+      // Trigger a dispose
+      search.dispose();
+
+      // Check URL has been cleaned
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual('');
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    });
+
+    test('refine after dispose', async () => {
+      const pushState = jest.spyOn(window.history, 'pushState');
+
+      const search = instantsearch({
+        indexName: 'indexName',
+        searchClient: createSearchClient(),
+        routing: {
+          router: historyRouter({
+            writeDelay,
+          }),
+        },
+      });
+
+      search.addWidgets([connectSearchBox(() => {})({})]);
+      search.start();
+
+      // Trigger an update - push a change
+      search.renderState.indexName!.searchBox!.refine('Apple');
+
+      // Trigger a dispose
+      search.dispose();
+
+      // Trigger an update - push a change
+      search.renderState.indexName!.searchBox!.refine('Apple');
+
+      // Check URL has not been updated
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual('');
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
+    test('URL is updated after starting instantsearch again', async () => {
+      const pushState = jest.spyOn(window.history, 'pushState');
+
+      const search = instantsearch({
+        indexName: 'indexName',
+        searchClient: createSearchClient(),
+        routing: {
+          router: historyRouter({
+            writeDelay,
+          }),
+        },
+      });
+
+      search.addWidgets([connectSearchBox(() => {})({})]);
+
+      search.start();
+
+      // Trigger an update - push a change
+      search.renderState.indexName!.searchBox!.refine('Query');
+
+      // Check URL has been updated
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual(
+        `?${encodeURI('indexName[query]=Query')}`
+      );
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+      // Trigger a dispose
+      search.dispose();
+
+      // Check URL has been cleaned
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual('');
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+
+      // Start again
+      search.addWidgets([connectSearchBox(() => {})({})]);
+
+      search.start();
+
+      // Trigger an update - push a change
+      search.renderState.indexName!.searchBox!.refine('Test');
+
+      // Check URL has been updated
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual(
+        `?${encodeURI('indexName[query]=Test')}`
+      );
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('writeOnDispose=false', () => {
+    test('does not clean URL on dispose', async () => {
+      const pushState = jest.spyOn(window.history, 'pushState');
+
+      const search = instantsearch({
+        indexName: 'indexName',
+        searchClient: createSearchClient(),
+        routing: {
+          router: historyRouter({
+            writeDelay,
+            writeOnDispose: false,
+          }),
+        },
+      });
+
+      search.addWidgets([connectSearchBox(() => {})({})]);
+
+      search.start();
+
+      // Check URL has been initialized
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual('');
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(0);
+
+      // Trigger an update - push a change
+      search.renderState.indexName!.searchBox!.refine('Apple');
+
+      // Check URL has been updated
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual(
+        `?${encodeURI('indexName[query]=Apple')}`
+      );
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+      // Trigger a dispose
+      search.dispose();
+
+      // Check URL has not been cleaned
+      await wait(writeWait);
+      expect(window.location.search).toEqual(
+        `?${encodeURI('indexName[query]=Apple')}`
+      );
+      expect(pushState).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/routers/history.ts b/src/lib/routers/history.ts
index e0768a8c14..aea003ba4d 100644
--- a/src/lib/routers/history.ts
+++ b/src/lib/routers/history.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ type BrowserHistoryArgs<TRouteState> = {
   // so we should accept a subset of it that is easier to work with in any
   // environments.
   getLocation(): Location;
+  writeOnDispose?: boolean;
 };
 
 const setWindowTitle = (title?: string): void => {
@@ -78,6 +79,15 @@ class BrowserHistory<TRouteState> implements Router<TRouteState> {
    */
   private shouldPushState: boolean = true;
 
+  /**
+   * Indicates if `write` should be called on `dispose`.
+   * When using other client-side routing utilities to navigate between pages
+   * (e.g., a front-end SPA routing library), set this option to `false`.
+   *
+   * @default true
+   */
+  private writeOnDispose: boolean = true;
+
   /**
    * Initializes a new storage provider that syncs the search state to the URL
    * using web APIs (`window.location.pushState` and `onpopstate` event).
@@ -88,6 +98,7 @@ class BrowserHistory<TRouteState> implements Router<TRouteState> {
     createURL,
     parseURL,
     getLocation,
+    writeOnDispose = true,
   }: BrowserHistoryArgs<TRouteState>) {
     this.windowTitle = windowTitle;
     this.writeTimer = undefined;
@@ -95,6 +106,7 @@ class BrowserHistory<TRouteState> implements Router<TRouteState> {
     this._createURL = createURL;
     this.parseURL = parseURL;
     this.getLocation = getLocation;
+    this.writeOnDispose = writeOnDispose;
 
     safelyRunOnBrowser(() => {
       const title = this.windowTitle && this.windowTitle(this.read());
@@ -190,7 +202,11 @@ class BrowserHistory<TRouteState> implements Router<TRouteState> {
       clearTimeout(this.writeTimer);
     }
 
-    this.write({} as TRouteState);
+    if (this.writeOnDispose) {
+      this.write({} as TRouteState);
+    } else {
+      this.shouldPushState = false;
+    }
   }
 }
 
@@ -231,6 +247,7 @@ export default function historyRouter<TRouteState = UiState>({
       },
     });
   },
+  writeOnDispose,
 }: Partial<BrowserHistoryArgs<TRouteState>> = {}): BrowserHistory<TRouteState> {
   return new BrowserHistory({
     createURL,
@@ -238,5 +255,6 @@ export default function historyRouter<TRouteState = UiState>({
     writeDelay,
     windowTitle,
     getLocation,
+    writeOnDispose,
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/middlewares/createRouterMiddleware.ts b/src/middlewares/createRouterMiddleware.ts
index 2747b991eb..6fde39f18d 100644
--- a/src/middlewares/createRouterMiddleware.ts
+++ b/src/middlewares/createRouterMiddleware.ts
@@ -62,13 +62,16 @@ export const createRouterMiddleware = <
 
     const initialUiState = instantSearchInstance._initialUiState;
 
+    let subscribed = false;
+
     return {
       onStateChange({ uiState }) {
         const routeState = stateMapping.stateToRoute(uiState);
 
         if (
-          lastRouteState === undefined ||
-          !isEqual(lastRouteState, routeState)
+          (lastRouteState === undefined ||
+            !isEqual(lastRouteState, routeState)) &&
+          subscribed
         ) {
           router.write(routeState);
           lastRouteState = routeState;
@@ -76,6 +79,8 @@ export const createRouterMiddleware = <
       },
 
       subscribe() {
+        subscribed = true;
+
         instantSearchInstance._initialUiState = {
           ...initialUiState,
           ...stateMapping.routeToState(router.read()),
@@ -87,6 +92,8 @@ export const createRouterMiddleware = <
       },
 
       unsubscribe() {
+        subscribed = false;
+
         router.dispose();
       },
     };