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Best RPO firms (2026): who runs hiring when you do not have a recruiting team

Recruitment process outsourcing means an outside firm runs part or all of your hiring: sourcing, screening, coordination, and often the technology around it. Enterprise RPO is a multi-year program. Project RPO covers a hiring spike. A startup usually needs something smaller, such as embedded recruiters, before it needs Cielo or Korn Ferry.

HRO Today's 2026 enterprise RPO customer satisfaction ranking is one public comparison. It put Korn Ferry first overall, PeopleScout fourth, and Cielo fifth, and it ranked Cielo first for breadth of service. That is their survey, not a measure of fit for a 40-person company. Individual role search is on tech recruiting agencies.

By Garrett Wolfe, founder of OneGTM (Clay Artisan Solutions Partner) and former GTM engineer at Unify. Updated .

Key takeaways

  • Cielo, PeopleScout, Wilson, Korn Ferry, Hudson Talent Solutions, Randstad Enterprise, KellyOCG, Pontoon, and Allegis Global Solutions run enterprise or multi-country recruiting programs.
  • Wilson is the current name of the firm formerly called WilsonHCG. The old domain redirects to wilsonhr.com.
  • Hirewell offers full and fractional RPO for companies that are not running a global program.
  • PeopleScout describes itself as an RPO provider. Hudson's site says it delivers RPO and talent acquisition services.
  • None of these firms publish a standard monthly fee. Enterprise deals are quoted.

Enterprise and multi-country RPO

These firms take over a recruiting function, a region, or a hiring surge for a larger employer. A seed-stage startup will usually overbuy here.

Cielo

Talent acquisition firm offering recruitment process outsourcing, contingent workforce programs, consulting, and employer branding. Models on the site include enterprise, project, and modular RPO. HRO Today's 2026 enterprise list ranked Cielo fifth overall and first for breadth of service.

Best for: Large or multi-country recruiting programs

Fees: Fees not published. Quoted by program.

PeopleScout

RPO and talent acquisition firm. The site calls it a large RPO provider and points to its own recruiting technology. HRO Today's 2026 enterprise ranking placed it fourth overall.

Best for: High-volume and professional hiring programs

Fees: Fees not published.

Wilson

Talent firm, formerly WilsonHCG. The current site describes RPO, talent advisory, and related programs. wilsonhcg.com redirects here. HRO Today's 2026 list includes Wilson among enterprise RPO providers.

Best for: Companies that want RPO plus talent advisory

Fees: Fees not published.

Korn Ferry

Organizational consulting firm that also sells talent acquisition and RPO. HRO Today's 2026 enterprise RPO ranking placed Korn Ferry first overall. Leadership search from other firms is on executive search firms.

Best for: Enterprises that want RPO inside a broader talent program

Fees: Fees not published.

Hudson Talent Solutions

RPO and talent acquisition firm. The site says it delivers strategic RPO to improve hiring and time to fill. HRO Today's 2026 enterprise list includes Hudson Talent Solutions.

Best for: Mid-market and enterprise recruiting programs

Fees: Fees not published.

Randstad Enterprise

Talent firm offering RPO, MSP, and total talent programs across industries that include technology and life sciences. Life sciences hiring is also on healthcare and life sciences recruiters.

Best for: RPO combined with contingent workforce management

Fees: Fees not published.

KellyOCG

Workforce solutions business of Kelly. It sells outsourced recruiting and contingent programs for large employers. HRO Today's 2026 enterprise RPO ranking placed KellyOCG second overall.

Best for: Large employers with permanent and contingent hiring

Fees: Fees not published.

Pontoon

Workforce solutions company offering RPO and related contingent programs. It is part of the Adecco group.

Best for: Integrated permanent and contingent hiring

Fees: Fees not published.

Allegis Global Solutions

Workforce management firm. Programs cover talent acquisition outsourcing along with contingent workforce and procurement. HRO Today's 2026 enterprise RPO list includes the firm.

Best for: Global workforce programs, not a single role

Fees: Fees not published.

RPO for a company that is not a global enterprise

Embedded or fractional RPO is the version most startups can actually use: recruiters on your roles, without a multi-year global contract.

Hirewell

Recruiting firm offering executive search, single hires, embedded recruiters, and full or fractional RPO. Technology work includes engineering and GTM roles. Also on tech recruiting agencies.

Best for: A company that wants an outsourced recruiting pod

Fees: Fees not published.

Fees are from each firm's own site as of November 2026. Enterprise RPO prices are quoted, not listed. This is an opinionated list, not a paid ranking, and nobody paid to be on it. The HRO Today ranks cited in the intro are that publication's 2026 customer satisfaction survey.

RPO firms compared

FirmBest forFee
CieloLarge or multi-country recruiting programsNot published
PeopleScoutHigh-volume and professional hiring programsNot published
WilsonCompanies that want RPO plus talent advisoryNot published
Korn FerryEnterprises that want RPO inside a broader talent programNot published
Hudson Talent SolutionsMid-market and enterprise recruiting programsNot published
Randstad EnterpriseRPO combined with contingent workforce managementNot published
KellyOCGLarge employers with permanent and contingent hiringNot published
PontoonIntegrated permanent and contingent hiringNot published
Allegis Global SolutionsGlobal workforce programs, not a single roleNot published
HirewellA company that wants an outsourced recruiting podNot published

Fees as published on each firm's own site in November 2026. "Not published" means the firm does not list a monthly or per-hire price.

How to choose an RPO firm

Ask what you are buying: a team that sits in your process, a project for one hiring spike, or a transfer of the whole function. The price model follows that choice, and it is rarely on the website.

  • Ask for two programs at companies your size, in your industry, and call those talent leaders.
  • Get the fee shape in writing: monthly management fee, per hire, or a mix.
  • Ask which ATS you will use, and who owns the candidate data when the contract ends.
  • Ask which recruiters are dedicated to you, and what happens when one leaves.
  • If you are hiring fewer than a few roles a month, a contingency agency is usually the smaller commitment.

Outsourced recruiting still needs a system underneath

An RPO firm supplies recruiters. OneGTM does not run RPO. For a recruiting firm, we build candidate sourcing: the data, the scoring, the outreach, and the reply desk.

That build is the Coastal Recruiting case study. For a company hiring sellers, the matching build is outbound and CRM.

  • Recruiters spend the week sourcing by hand.
  • You cannot tell which sources produce accepted candidates.
  • A new sales hire will start with no scored account list.

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RPO FAQ

What are the best RPO firms?
For enterprise programs, Cielo, PeopleScout, Wilson, Korn Ferry, Hudson Talent Solutions, Randstad Enterprise, KellyOCG, Pontoon, and Allegis Global Solutions all sell recruitment process outsourcing. HRO Today's 2026 customer satisfaction ranking put Korn Ferry first overall and Cielo first for breadth of service. Hirewell is the smaller option, with fractional and full RPO. Fees are quoted, not published.
How much does RPO cost?
These firms do not publish a standard price. Enterprise programs are usually a monthly management fee, a per-hire fee, or both. A fractional or embedded model, such as Hirewell, is scoped to the roles you actually have open. Ask for the fee shape and what happens to candidate data at the end of the contract.
What is the difference between RPO and a contingency recruiter?
A contingency recruiter is paid when you hire someone they introduced, usually for one role, and you can use several at once. RPO means the firm runs a slice of the hiring process, often with recruiters dedicated to you, and you pay for that capacity whether or not every role closes in a given month.
Is RPO a fit for a startup?
A global enterprise RPO contract is usually too much for a startup. Embedded or fractional RPO, or a contingency agency for the next few critical hires, matches the volume. Hirewell and the firms on the tech recruiting list are the closer fit.
Does OneGTM offer RPO?
No. OneGTM builds outbound, signal, and candidate-sourcing systems. The firms on this page run recruiting programs.

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