--- title: "Best RPO Firms (2026): Who Runs Hiring" description: "Recruitment process outsourcing firms compared: Cielo, PeopleScout, Wilson, Korn Ferry, Hudson, Randstad Enterprise, and Hirewell." url: https://getaob.com/rpo-firms --- # 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](https://getaob.com/recruiting-agencies). By [Garrett Wolfe](https://garrettawolfe.com), founder of OneGTM (Clay Artisan Solutions Partner) and former GTM engineer at Unify. Updated November 4, 2026. 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](https://www.cielotalent.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.peoplescout.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.wilsonhr.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.kornferry.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://getaob.com/executive-search-firms). **Best for:** Enterprises that want RPO inside a broader talent program **Fees:** Fees not published. ### [Hudson Talent Solutions](https://hudsontalent.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.randstadenterprise.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://getaob.com/healthcare-recruiters). **Best for:** RPO combined with contingent workforce management **Fees:** Fees not published. ### [KellyOCG](https://www.kellyocg.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.pontoonsolutions.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.allegisglobalsolutions.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://www.hirewell.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rpo-firms) 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](https://getaob.com/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. Choosing tools for an outbound build? Send me your current stack and what you want it to do. I'll tell you what I'd keep and what I'd change. Get a stack review ## RPO firms compared | Firm | Best for | Fee | | --- | --- | --- | | Cielo | Large or multi-country recruiting programs | Not published | | PeopleScout | High-volume and professional hiring programs | Not published | | Wilson | Companies that want RPO plus talent advisory | Not published | | Korn Ferry | Enterprises that want RPO inside a broader talent program | Not published | | Hudson Talent Solutions | Mid-market and enterprise recruiting programs | Not published | | Randstad Enterprise | RPO combined with contingent workforce management | Not published | | KellyOCG | Large employers with permanent and contingent hiring | Not published | | Pontoon | Integrated permanent and contingent hiring | Not published | | Allegis Global Solutions | Global workforce programs, not a single role | Not published | | Hirewell | A company that wants an outsourced recruiting pod | Not 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. ## Related lists Single-role tech and startup recruiting is on [tech recruiting agencies](https://getaob.com/recruiting-agencies). Engineering specialists are on [engineering recruiting firms](https://getaob.com/engineering-recruiters). Sales hiring is on [GTM and sales recruiting agencies](https://getaob.com/gtm-sales-recruiters). Finance hiring is on [finance and fintech recruiters](https://getaob.com/finance-recruiters). The HR and PEO layer under the employees you hire is on [PEOs and HR consultancies](https://getaob.com/hr-peo-firms). Retained leadership search is on [executive search firms](https://getaob.com/executive-search-firms). ## 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](https://getaob.com/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. Book a call ## 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. Hiring sellers and need the outbound system they will use? ## Related - [Best tech recruiting agencies](https://getaob.com/recruiting-agencies): Tech recruiting agencies, search firms and hiring platforms for startups, with published fees. - [Best engineering recruiting firms](https://getaob.com/engineering-recruiters): Engineering recruiting firms for software, data, and cloud roles, with the fees they publish. - [Best GTM and sales recruiting agencies](https://getaob.com/gtm-sales-recruiters): GTM and sales recruiting agencies for SaaS and tech, including UltraTalent, with the fee models they publish. - [Best PEOs and HR consultancies](https://getaob.com/hr-peo-firms): PEOs, global employer-of-record services, and people consultancies, with how fees are quoted. - [Best executive search firms](https://getaob.com/executive-search-firms): Executive search firms for startups and growth companies, including CPI in New York, with how retained search is paid. - [Best finance and fintech recruiters](https://getaob.com/finance-recruiters): Finance and fintech recruiters for banks, funds, and startups, with what they publish on fees. - [Best healthcare and life sciences recruiters](https://getaob.com/healthcare-recruiters): Healthcare and life sciences recruiters for pharma, biotech, and medtech, with how search is paid. ## Get an outbound system review Tell me what you're building. I reply the same day. Book a call at [getaob.com/#contact](https://getaob.com/#contact) or email [team@getaob.com](mailto:team@getaob.com).