diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/compare.py b/kallithea/controllers/compare.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/compare.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/compare.py
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ class CompareController(BaseRepoControll
     @HasRepoPermissionLevelDecorator('read')
     def index(self, repo_name):
         c.compare_home = True
-        c.a_ref_name = c.cs_ref_name = _('Select changeset')
+        c.a_ref_name = c.cs_ref_name = None
         return render('compare/compare_diff.html')
 
     @LoginRequired()
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/compare/compare_diff.html b/kallithea/templates/compare/compare_diff.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/compare/compare_diff.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/compare/compare_diff.html
@@ -101,9 +101,9 @@ ${self.repo_context_bar('changelog')}
    $(document).ready(function(){
     var cache = {};
 
-    function make_revision_dropdown(css_selector, placeholder, repo_name, cache_key) {
+    function make_revision_dropdown(css_selector, repo_name, ref_name, cache_key) {
       $(css_selector).select2({
-        placeholder: placeholder,
+        placeholder: '{0}@{1}'.format(repo_name, ref_name || ${h.jshtml(_('Select changeset'))}),
         formatSelection: function(obj){
             return '{0}@{1}'.format(repo_name, obj.text);
         },
@@ -149,8 +149,8 @@ ${self.repo_context_bar('changelog')}
     });
     }
 
-    make_revision_dropdown("#compare_org",   ${h.jshtml('%s@%s' % (c.a_repo.repo_name, c.a_ref_name))},   ${h.jshtml(c.a_repo.repo_name)},  'cache');
-    make_revision_dropdown("#compare_other", ${h.jshtml('%s@%s' % (c.cs_repo.repo_name, c.cs_ref_name))}, ${h.jshtml(c.cs_repo.repo_name)}, 'cache2');
+    make_revision_dropdown("#compare_org",   ${h.jshtml(c.a_repo.repo_name)},  ${h.jshtml(c.a_ref_name)},  'cache');
+    make_revision_dropdown("#compare_other", ${h.jshtml(c.cs_repo.repo_name)}, ${h.jshtml(c.cs_ref_name)}, 'cache2');
 
     var values_changed = function() {
         var values = $('#compare_org').select2('data') && $('#compare_other').select2('data');