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✦ Free & open sourceFinance

FinRL

Financial reinforcement learning framework for trading strategies.

Financial Reinforcement Learning Framework

Build, train, and backtest deep reinforcement learning trading agents.

Free forever · open source · MIT
✓ Light setup✓ Browser-based✓ Real-time collaboration
8
ZEKAI
Educational DRL trading framework
Free & open source · Finance
Ease of setup6
Usefulness8
Maintenance9.5
Community8.5
★ 16,402
GITHUB
Sep 2026
UPDATED
MIT
LICENSE
🛠 Don't want to self-host? We can set it up →
⚡ Quick answer

FinRL is an open-source framework designed for financial reinforcement learning and quantitative trading workflows. It suits researchers, developers, and students wanting to prototype train-test-trade pipelines.

Runs on
Cross-platform
Hosting
Self-host
Languages
Jupyter Notebook
License
MIT

What it is

The framework organizes operations into market environments, DRL agents, and financial applications using a train-test-trade pipeline. It supports algorithms from Stable Baselines 3, RLlib, and ElegantRL, integrating with multiple data processors.

Who it's for

It suits quants, researchers, and developers exploring algorithmic trading and reinforcement learning. It does not suit those seeking out-of-the-box production live trading without migrating to FinRL-X.

Key features

Three-Layer Architecture

Separates market environments, DRL agents, and financial applications for modular design.

Multiple DRL Backends

Supports training via Stable Baselines 3, RLlib, and ElegantRL algorithm libraries.

Technical Indicators

Includes built-in preprocessors for MACD, RSI, VIX, and turbulence index calculations.

Train-Test Pipeline

Provides explicit workflow scripts for downloading data, training agents, and backtesting.

How to start

Up and running in 3 steps

1
Clone the repository and create a Python virtual environment.
2
Install the package locally using pip install -e .
3
Run the provided example scripts for data download, training, and backtesting.
Real talk

Our honest verdict

What's great

  • Original pioneer framework for financial reinforcement learning
  • Integrates with multiple established DRL libraries
  • Provides sample datasets and stock trading tutorials
  • Modular structure dividing meta environments and agents

Where it falls short

  • Original repository is designated for education while production requires FinRL-X
  • Requires manual virtual environment and python dependency setup
  • Depends on external data source availability like Yahoo Finance
Cost

Pricing & license

Free under the MIT license, with the only cost being your own compute resources for training models.

Paid work

Open remote AI-training roles

880 open remote AI-training roles, updated November 15, 2026; most pay $20–$175 an hour. Zekai lists them free; the application goes to the employer’s platform.

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Questions

FAQ

Is this the latest version of FinRL?

No, this repository preserves the original educational framework, while production-oriented development has moved to FinRL-X.

Which machine learning libraries are supported?

It supports algorithms through integrations with Stable Baselines 3, RLlib, and ElegantRL.

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