diff --git a/lib/manager.ts b/lib/manager.ts
index f1d482972..8953456f7 100644
--- a/lib/manager.ts
+++ b/lib/manager.ts
@@ -256,6 +256,13 @@ export interface ManagerOptions extends EngineOptions {
    */
   autoConnect: boolean;
 
+  /**
+   * weather we should unref the reconnect timer when it is
+   * create automatically
+   * @default false
+   */
+  autoUnref: boolean;
+
   /**
    * the parser to use. Defaults to an instance of the Parser that ships with socket.io.
    */
@@ -531,6 +538,10 @@ export class Manager<
         socket.emit("error", new Error("timeout"));
       }, timeout);
 
+      if (this.opts.autoUnref) {
+        timer.unref();
+      }
+
       this.subs.push(function subDestroy(): void {
         clearTimeout(timer);
       });
@@ -769,6 +780,10 @@ export class Manager<
         });
       }, delay);
 
+      if (this.opts.autoUnref) {
+        timer.unref();
+      }
+
       this.subs.push(function subDestroy() {
         clearTimeout(timer);
       });
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 5cdc74c92..a78bfa8a8 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -4571,9 +4571,9 @@
       }
     },
     "engine.io-client": {
-      "version": "4.1.2",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/engine.io-client/-/engine.io-client-4.1.2.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-1mwvwKYMa0AaCy+sPgvJ/SnKyO5MJZ1HEeXfA3Rm/KHkHGiYD5bQVq8QzvIrkI01FuVtOdZC5lWdRw1BGXB2NQ==",
+      "version": "5.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/engine.io-client/-/engine.io-client-5.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-e6GK0Fqvq45Nu/j7YdIVqXtDPvlsggAcfml3QiEiGdJ1qeh7IQU6knxSN3+yy9BmbnXtIfjo1hK4MFyHKdc9mQ==",
       "requires": {
         "base64-arraybuffer": "0.1.4",
         "component-emitter": "~1.3.0",
@@ -4583,7 +4583,6 @@
         "parseqs": "0.0.6",
         "parseuri": "0.0.6",
         "ws": "~7.4.2",
-        "xmlhttprequest-ssl": "~1.5.4",
         "yeast": "0.1.2"
       },
       "dependencies": {
@@ -4593,9 +4592,9 @@
           "integrity": "sha1-mBjHngWbE1X5fgQooBfIOOkLqBI="
         },
         "ws": {
-          "version": "7.4.3",
-          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-7.4.3.tgz",
-          "integrity": "sha512-hr6vCR76GsossIRsr8OLR9acVVm1jyfEWvhbNjtgPOrfvAlKzvyeg/P6r8RuDjRyrcQoPQT7K0DGEPc7Ae6jzA=="
+          "version": "7.4.4",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-7.4.4.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-Qm8k8ojNQIMx7S+Zp8u/uHOx7Qazv3Yv4q68MiWWWOJhiwG5W3x7iqmRtJo8xxrciZUY4vRxUTJCKuRnF28ZZw=="
         }
       }
     },
@@ -13299,11 +13298,6 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-fDlsI/kFEx7gLvbecc0/ohLG50fugQp8ryHzMTuW9vSa1GJ0XYWKnhsUx7oie3G98+r56aTQIUB4kht42R3JvA==",
       "dev": true
     },
-    "xmlhttprequest-ssl": {
-      "version": "1.5.5",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest-ssl/-/xmlhttprequest-ssl-1.5.5.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha1-wodrBhaKrcQOV9l+gRkayPQ5iz4="
-    },
     "xtend": {
       "version": "4.0.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/xtend/-/xtend-4.0.2.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 628431c63..7ff2115a3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
     "backo2": "~1.0.2",
     "component-emitter": "~1.3.0",
     "debug": "~4.3.1",
-    "engine.io-client": "~4.1.0",
+    "engine.io-client": "~5.0.0",
     "parseuri": "0.0.6",
     "socket.io-parser": "~4.0.4"
   },
@@ -108,5 +108,8 @@
   },
   "tsd": {
     "directory": "test"
+  },
+  "browser": {
+    "./test/node.ts": false
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/fixtures/no-unref.ts b/test/fixtures/no-unref.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..82d8c0a06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/no-unref.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+const io = require("../..");
+const socket = io("http://localhost:3211", {
+  autoUnref: false,
+});
+
+setTimeout(() => {
+  console.log("process should not exit");
+}, 500);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/unref-during-reconnection.ts b/test/fixtures/unref-during-reconnection.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d5558d75a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/unref-during-reconnection.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+const io = require("../..");
+const socket = io("http://localhost:3211", {
+  autoUnref: true,
+});
+
+socket.on("open", () => {
+  console.log("open");
+});
+
+setTimeout(() => {
+  console.log("process should exit now");
+}, 500);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/unref-polling-only.ts b/test/fixtures/unref-polling-only.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..01419d636
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/unref-polling-only.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+const io = require("../..");
+const socket = io("http://localhost:3210", {
+  autoUnref: true,
+  transports: ["polling"],
+});
+
+socket.on("open", () => {
+  console.log("open");
+});
+
+setTimeout(() => {
+  console.log("process should exit now");
+}, 500);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/unref-websocket-only.ts b/test/fixtures/unref-websocket-only.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a4e26893a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/unref-websocket-only.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+const io = require("../..");
+const socket = io("http://localhost:3210", {
+  autoUnref: true,
+  transports: ["websocket"],
+});
+
+socket.on("open", () => {
+  console.log("open");
+});
+
+setTimeout(() => {
+  console.log("process should exit now");
+}, 500);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/unref.ts b/test/fixtures/unref.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a281d832
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/unref.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+const io = require("../..");
+const socket = io("http://localhost:3210", {
+  autoUnref: true,
+});
+
+socket.on("open", () => {
+  console.log("open");
+});
+
+setTimeout(() => {
+  console.log("process should exit now");
+}, 500);
diff --git a/test/index.js b/test/index.js
index daeebf67a..cfaeaf205 100644
--- a/test/index.js
+++ b/test/index.js
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ const { browser } = require("./support/env");
 // whitelist some globals to avoid warnings
 if (browser) {
   window.mocha.globals(["___eio", "eio_iframe_*"]);
+} else {
+  require("./node.ts");
 }
 
 require("./url.ts");
diff --git a/test/node.ts b/test/node.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..66d3a582d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/node.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+const path = require("path");
+const { exec } = require("child_process");
+
+describe("autoRef option", () => {
+  const fixture = (filename) =>
+    process.execPath + " " + path.join(__dirname, "fixtures", filename);
+
+  it("should stop once the timer is triggered", (done) => {
+    exec(fixture("unref.ts"), done);
+  });
+
+  it("should stop once the timer is triggered (even when trying to reconnect)", (done) => {
+    exec(fixture("unref-during-reconnection.ts"), done);
+  });
+
+  it("should stop once the timer is triggered (polling)", (done) => {
+    exec(fixture("unref-polling-only.ts"), done);
+  });
+
+  it("should stop once the timer is triggered (websocket)", (done) => {
+    exec(fixture("unref-websocket-only.ts"), done);
+  });
+
+  it("should not stop with autoUnref set to false", (done) => {
+    const process = exec(fixture("no-unref.ts"), () => {
+      done(new Error("should not happen"));
+    });
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      process.kill();
+      done();
+    }, 1000);
+  });
+});