Top 20 Proof of Work Platforms Used in the US in 2026

In the modern American job market, the phrase "show, don't tell" has become the gold standard. As competition for remote and high-paying roles intensifies, employers are moving away from resume keywords and toward Proof of Work (PoW). These platforms allow you to host, verify, and present the actual results of your labor whether it's code, content, data models, or successful sales pipelines. By using these 20 platforms, you provide hiring managers with the empirical evidence they need to bypass the "interview of faith" and move straight to a "hiring of facts."

I’m Riten, founder of Fueler - a skills-first portfolio platform that connects talented individuals with companies through assignments, portfolios, and projects, not just resumes/CVs. Think Dribbble/Behance for work samples + AngelList for hiring infrastructure.

1. Fueler: The Proof-of-Work Specialist

Fueler is the leading platform specifically designed for the "Proof of Work" movement in 2025. It moves beyond the traditional portfolio by focusing on verified project samples and "Work Stacks" that categorize your skills into tangible evidence. It is the only platform that allows you to build a professional brand based entirely on the projects you have completed, making it a favorite for freelancers and full-time job seekers in the tech and marketing sectors.

• Verified Collaboration Features: Unlike social media where anyone can claim anything, Fueler allows you to tag collaborators who can then verify your specific contribution to a project, creating an immutable trail of professional trust.
• Customizable Work Stacks: You can group your projects into specialized "Stacks" (e.g., "Python Automation" or "SaaS Copywriting"), allowing you to send a targeted link to a recruiter that only shows the most relevant proof for that specific job.
• Proof of Impact Documentation: Every project on Fueler encourages you to document the "Result," forcing you to move beyond just describing what you did to showing how it actually helped the business or client succeed.
• Dynamic Landing Pages: Your profile is optimized for speed and SEO, meaning when a US recruiter Googles your name, your best work is the first thing they see in a clean, professional, and mobile-responsive format.
• Seamless Tool Integration: You can import work directly from GitHub, Behance, or even simple Google Drive links, consolidating your fragmented professional history into one powerful "Proof of Work" hub.

2. GitHub: The Developer’s Immutable Ledger

For any technical role in the USA, a GitHub profile is essentially your "True Resume." It provides a public, timestamped history of every line of code you have ever written, showing not just your skill level but your consistency and your ability to work within a version-controlled environment. A well-maintained GitHub shows that you are an active participant in the global engineering community.

• Contribution Heatmaps: The "Green Square" grid provides immediate visual proof of your consistency over time, signaling to recruiters that you are a disciplined developer who codes regularly.
• Public Repository Hosting: By hosting your personal projects publicly, you allow hiring managers to perform deep "Code Reviews" on your work before you even set foot in an interview room.
• Open Source Contributions: Actively contributing to major projects (like React or Django) serves as the highest form of proof, as it shows you can follow complex style guides and pass rigorous peer reviews.
• README Storytelling: Modern developers use the README.md file to turn raw code into a case study, explaining the problem, the tech stack used, and the final outcome of the project for non-technical stakeholders.
• GitHub Actions & CI/CD: Demonstrating that you can set up automated testing and deployment workflows within your repositories proves that you understand modern, "Production-Ready" software engineering.

3. Behance: The Visual Proof Engine

Owned by Adobe, Behance is the primary platform for creative professionals in the US to show the "Process" behind the "Final Product." For designers, illustrators, and art directors, it provides a high-fidelity environment where they can break down a branding project or a UI design into its component parts, proving their strategic thinking and technical mastery.

• Full-Length Case Studies: Behance allows for deep vertical scrolling pages where you can include sketches, wireframes, mood boards, and final renders to show the entire evolution of a creative concept.
• Work-in-Progress (WIP) Features: You can share "Shorts" or snippets of what you are currently working on, which keeps your audience engaged and proves that you are constantly refining your craft.
• Industry Endorsements: The "Appreciation" and "Featured" badges from Adobe’s curators serve as a powerful third-party verification of your talent, acting as a "Seal of Quality" for US agencies.
• Direct Adobe Sync: Since it integrates with Creative Cloud, you can publish projects directly from Photoshop or Illustrator, ensuring that your portfolio is always an up-to-date reflection of your latest work.
• Recruiter Search Visibility: Behance has a dedicated "Hire" function used by major brands like Nike and Apple to source talent based on specific visual styles or technical keywords found in your project descriptions.

4. Dribbble: The UI/UX "Shot" Gallery

Dribbble is the go-to platform for American UI/UX designers to showcase "Shots", small, focused previews of a specific design interaction or interface. While Behance is for deep dives, Dribbble is for showcasing your "Visual Polish" and your ability to stay on top of the latest design trends in the tech industry.

• Design Interaction Gifs: Dribbble is famous for short, animated clips that prove you can design functional transitions and animations, not just static screens.
• Color Palette and Tool Specs: Each "Shot" automatically lists the color HEX codes and the tools used (like Figma or Sketch), providing technical proof of your design methodology.
• Community Feedback Loops: The comments section on Dribbble is often filled with technical critiques from other pros; being active here shows you can handle feedback and participate in professional discourse.
• Specialized "Playbook" Sites: Dribbble allows you to turn your shots into a standalone portfolio site, giving you a professional URL that is automatically updated every time you post new work.
• Job Board Integration: Because Dribbble is a community, its job board is highly targeted, with many US startups posting roles that can only be applied to by active Dribbble members with a proven track record.

5. Kaggle: The Data Scientist’s Arena

For data scientists and machine learning engineers, Kaggle is the ultimate "Proof of Work" platform. It hosts global competitions where you can prove your ability to clean data, build models, and generate accurate predictions against real-world datasets from companies like Google and Walmart.

• Competition Rankings: Your performance in global competitions provides a quantitative "Rank" that proves your skills against thousands of other data professionals worldwide.
• Public Notebooks (Kernels): Sharing your code in Kaggle Notebooks proves you can write clean, documented, and reproducible data science pipelines that others can learn from and verify.
• Dataset Contributions: Curating and sharing high-quality datasets shows you understand the "Data Engineering" side of the house, which is often more valuable to US companies than just model building.
• Discussion Expert Status: Being an active participant in Kaggle’s forums proves your ability to explain complex statistical concepts and collaborate on difficult technical problems.
• Course Certifications: Kaggle’s micro-courses provide foundational proof of your knowledge in specific areas like "Geospatial Analysis" or "Natural Language Processing," backed by practical exercises.

6. Substack: The Thought Leadership Portfolio

In 2025, being a "Subject Matter Expert" is a major hiring advantage. Substack has become the platform for US consultants, analysts, and writers to prove their deep industry knowledge through regular, long-form newsletters. It turns your "Opinions" into a searchable archive of your intellectual horsepower.

• Niche Authority Building: By writing consistently on a specific topic (like "The Future of Fintech"), you build an archive that proves you are a thought leader, not just a practitioner.
• Subscriber Growth Metrics: A growing subscriber base is a form of social proof, showing that your insights are valuable enough for people to invite them into their private inboxes every week.
• Public Writing Samples: For roles in communications, marketing, or strategy, a Substack provides immediate proof of your ability to write clearly, persuasively, and with a unique brand voice.
• Interactive Community Data: The comments and "Likes" on your posts show that your work generates engagement and sparks conversation within your industry.
• Paid Tier Validation: If people are willing to pay for your insights, it is the ultimate proof that your work has high market value a fact you can use as leverage during salary negotiations.

7. Notion: The Operational Proof Hub

Notion has moved from a note-taking app to a full-blown "Public Workspace" where project managers, operations leads, and virtual assistants in the US show how they organize information. A Notion portfolio proves that you are structured, detail-oriented, and capable of building complex systems.

• Public "Wiki" Portfolios: You can create an entire website in Notion that shows your process for managing "Sprints," "Product Launches," or "Content Calendars" in a live, interactive environment.
• Template Creation: Designing and sharing Notion templates proves you can build tools that help other people be more productive a high-value skill for any operations role.
• Embedded Multi-Media: Notion allows you to embed live Figma files, Loom videos, and Google Sheets, creating a "Cockpit View" of your entire professional output.
• Database Visualization: Using Notion’s databases to track your own career goals or project milestones proves you can handle data architecture and information hierarchy.
• Collaboration History: Sharing "Shared Workspaces" (anonymized) shows how you interact with teams, manage permissions, and maintain a "Single Source of Truth" for a project.

8. Upwork: The Client-Verified History

Upwork has evolved into one of the most trusted "Proof of Work" engines in the United States because it provides an objective, third-party record of your professional reliability. Unlike a personal website where you can write your own testimonials, Upwork displays a "Job Success Score" (JSS) that is calculated based on private and public feedback from actual paying clients. For a freelancer or contractor, this platform acts as an immutable ledger of every dollar earned and every deadline met, proving that you have the discipline to succeed in the American gig economy.

• Verified Feedback and Ratings: Every project ends with a star rating and a written review that is permanently tied to your profile, providing high-intent social proof that you deliver on your promises.
• Public Earnings History: By showing your total earnings and the number of hours worked, the platform proves that the market has consistently valued your skills at a professional rate.
• Skill Certification Badges: Upwork offers various skill tests and badges like "Top Rated" or "Expert-Vetted" that serve as a pre-screening layer for recruiters looking for elite talent in specific niches.
• Project Catalog Showcasing: You can create "Fixed-Price" service packages that act as a visual portfolio of exactly what you can deliver, from "Logo Design" to "Technical SEO Audits."
• Work Diary and Screenshots: For hourly contracts, the platform’s work diary provides a transparent record of your activity, proving that you are focused and productive during billable hours.

9. Figma Community: The Product Design Proof

For product and UI/UX designers, the Figma Community is the ultimate platform to prove that your design work is not just "pretty" but technically sound and scalable. By publishing open-source design systems, UI kits, and plugins, you show that you understand the "Atomic Design" principles used by top US tech firms. When a recruiter sees that thousands of other designers have "duplicated" your files, it serves as immediate proof that your work follows industry standards and helps others solve real design problems.

• File Duplication Metrics: The number of times your design files are used by others serves as a quantitative measure of your work’s utility and its influence within the global design community.
• Plugin Development: Creating and publishing Figma plugins proves that you have the technical coding skills (HTML/CSS/JS) to extend the functionality of the world’s leading design tool.
• Design System Documentation: Sharing complex design systems shows your ability to create a "Single Source of Truth" for teams, demonstrating mastery over components, variables, and auto-layout.
• Interactive Prototyping: The community allows you to share clickable, interactive prototypes that prove you can handle complex user flows and sophisticated animations.
• Collaborative Social Proof: Engaging with other designers’ files and having them "Like" or "Remix" your work builds a reputation of being a collaborative and helpful team player.

10. Medium: The Strategic Content Archive

Medium is the preferred "Proof of Work" platform for strategists, consultants, and marketing leaders in the USA who need to demonstrate high-level thinking. While a blog on your own site might get lost, Medium’s internal distribution system ensures your "Deep Dives" reach an audience of industry professionals. It allows you to turn a successful project into a comprehensive case study that explains the "Why" behind your decisions, proving that your successes are the result of a repeatable strategy rather than just luck.

• Long-Form Thought Leadership: The platform’s clean, distraction-free interface is perfect for publishing 1,000+ word articles that showcase your expertise in complex industry topics.
• Publication Placements: Getting your work accepted into major publications like "The Startup" or "Towards Data Science" acts as an editorial endorsement of your writing and ideas.
• Engagement Analytics: Detailed stats on "Claps," "Highlights," and "Read Time" prove that your content is actually being consumed and valued by an audience, rather than just scrolled past.
• SEO Domain Authority: Because Medium has high domain authority, your articles often rank on the first page of Google, ensuring that your proof of work is the first thing a recruiter sees.
• Portfolio Integration: You can easily embed your Medium articles into other portfolio sites, using them as the "Intellectual Engine" that backs up your visual or technical work samples.

11. Polywork: The Multi-Hyphenate Timeline

Polywork has gained massive traction in the US tech scene as a "Professional Highlight Reel" that captures the work resumes often miss. Instead of static job titles, it uses a "Timeline" of specific achievements, such as "Spoke at a Conference," "Mentored a Junior Developer," or "Shipped a Beta Feature." It is the perfect platform for the "Multi-Hyphenate" professional who does many different things and wants to prove their versatility across various disciplines.

• Achievement-Based Logging: You can log individual "badges" for specific tasks, allowing you to prove your activity level and the diversity of your professional contributions over time.
• Collaboration Tags: Similar to a film credit, you can tag the people you worked with, creating a cross-verified network of professional proof that validates your role in a team.
• Custom Discovery Requests: The platform allows you to specify what you want to be "found for," such as "Speaking Gigs" or "Beta Testing," aligning your proof with your future goals.
• Personalized "Space" Pages: You can create dedicated pages for different interests, ensuring that a "Side Project" doesn't clutter your "Main Career" proof while still being visible.
• RSS and Social Integration: Polywork can automatically pull in your latest GitHub commits or Substack posts, keeping your timeline updated with fresh proof of work without manual effort.

12. Loom: The Verbal Communication Proof

In the era of remote work, being able to communicate clearly via video is a top-tier skill for US-based roles. Loom is a "Proof of Work" tool that allows you to record your screen and camera simultaneously to walk through a project. Including a library of Loom videos in your portfolio proves that you can give clear presentations, explain complex code logic, and lead asynchronous meetings effectively, which are vital skills for modern distributed teams.

• Asynchronous Presentation Skills: Sharing a Loom walkthrough of a finished project proves you can communicate the "What" and "How" of your work clearly without needing a live meeting.
• Technical Explainer Videos: For developers, recording a "Code Walkthrough" proves that you actually understand the logic behind your scripts and can explain them to others.
• User Experience (UX) Narratives: Designers can use Loom to narrate a user’s journey through a prototype, proving their empathy for the end-user and their design intent.
• Engagement Tracking: Loom provides data on who watched your video and for how long, allowing you to see if hiring managers are actually engaging with your proof.
• Interactive Commenting: The ability for viewers to leave time-stamped comments allows you to engage in a virtual "Interview" before the actual meeting even takes place.

13. Polyfill: The Open Source Verification

Polyfill is a specialized tool increasingly used in the US to verify and score open-source contributions across different ecosystems. For engineers, it provides a "Proof of Code" score that quantifies your impact on the software world. It doesn’t just show that you code; it shows the quality and relevance of your contributions, helping you stand out in the high-stakes world of technical recruitment for major infrastructure and web companies.

• Cross-Platform Contribution Mapping: It aggregates your work from GitHub, GitLab, and other repositories into a single, unified score that represents your total technical footprint.
• Impact-Weighted Scoring: The platform uses algorithms to weigh your contributions based on the importance and usage of the library you are working on, proving the real-world value of your code.
• Developer Skill Graphs: It generates a visual map of your technical expertise based on the languages and frameworks you actually use in your open-source projects.
• Verified Reputation Badges: Earning a high rank on Polyfill acts as a "Certified Expert" status that you can display on your LinkedIn or Fueler profile to build instant technical trust.
• Hiring Manager Insights: The platform provides a dashboard for recruiters that translates your complex code history into easy-to-understand "Readiness" metrics for specific engineering roles.

14. Linktree: The Fragmented Proof Aggregator

While seemingly simple, Linktree has become a standard tool for US freelancers to manage a "Fragmented" professional identity. It acts as a single gateway that connects all your different "Proof" nodes such as your Behance for design, your GitHub for code, and your LinkedIn for history. It ensures that no matter where a recruiter finds you, they can instantly access every piece of evidence you have built across the digital landscape.

• Centralized "Bio" Link: It provides a clean, branded URL that you can use across all social media platforms to drive traffic directly to your various work samples and contact points.
• Click Analytics: You can see which of your "Proof" links are getting the most attention, helping you understand what part of your professional story is most compelling to your audience.
• Mobile-First Optimization: Linktree ensures that your portfolio links are easy to navigate on a smartphone, which is where many initial "discovery" moments happen in modern recruiting.
• Content Embedding: You can embed YouTube videos or Spotify podcasts directly into your Linktree, allowing recruiters to see or hear your work without leaving the page.
• Timed Link Scheduling: For freelancers running a promotion or launching a new project, you can schedule links to appear and disappear, keeping your "Proof" relevant to current trends.

15. Giphy: The Motion & Branding Proof

For motion designers and brand specialists, a Giphy channel with millions of "Views" is a powerful, quantitative form of work proof. In the US market, cultural relevance is key, and Giphy shows that your visual assets are highly shareable and have a massive reach. It proves that you understand how to create "Bite-Sized" content that resonates with the internet-native consumer, a skill that is highly valued by modern American marketing agencies.

• Massive View Counts: The "Total Views" counter on your Giphy profile serves as a metric for the popularity and the "Viral Potential" of your motion graphics and brand assets.
• Brand Integration Examples: Showing how your stickers and GIFs are used across platforms like Instagram and TikTok proves your work’s versatility in a multi-channel world.
• Official Artist Verification: Getting a "Verified Artist" badge on Giphy provides a level of professional status that proves you are a recognized creator in the motion design industry.
• Tagging and Search Optimization: Your ability to rank your GIFs for specific search terms proves you understand "Visual SEO" and how to capture niche audience attention.
• Collaboration Portfolio: You can showcase work done for major US brands, using Giphy as a "Live Gallery" of your professional commercial animation and design projects.

16. Product Hunt: The "Builder" Proof

If you are a developer, product manager, or founder, a Product Hunt profile is the ultimate proof of your ability to build and launch products that people actually want to use. It tracks every "Launch" you’ve been a part of and every "Upvote" you’ve received from the tech community. In the US startup world, having a "Product of the Day" badge is a major career milestone that proves you can take a project from an idea to a successful public launch.

• Product Launch History: Your profile serves as a timeline of every digital product you have helped bring to market, proving your experience with the full "Go-To-Market" (GTM) process.
• Community Endorsements: The "Upvotes" and "Comments" from other builders serve as social proof that your product solves a real problem and has high technical or design quality.
• "Hunter" vs. "Maker" Roles: The platform distinguishes between those who find products and those who build them, allowing you to prove your specific contribution to a project’s success.
• Live Product Feedback: The discussion section on your launches proves you can engage with users, handle criticism, and iterate based on real-world market feedback.
• Network Effects: Being active on Product Hunt connects you with other high-level "Makers" in the US, providing a network of peers who can verify your skills and offer opportunities.

17. Contently: The High-End Writing Portfolio

Contently is the preferred platform for high-level freelance journalists and content strategists in the United States. It provides a beautiful, grid-based portfolio that automatically keeps your writing clips updated from major publications. It is designed to help you land "Enterprise" level writing gigs by showcasing your authority in specific niches like Finance, Tech, or Healthcare. It moves beyond a simple blog and positions you as a professional contributor to the world’s leading digital magazines.

• Automated Clip Scraping: You can add your published work just by providing the URL, and the platform will automatically pull the headline, image, and date into a stunning visual grid.
• Niche Authority Tags: Contently allows you to categorize your work by "Topic" and "Format," helping US editors find you when they need an expert in a specific field.
• Client History List: The platform highlights the major publications and brands you have written for, providing immediate "Brand-Name" social proof to new potential clients.
• Multi-Media Support: You can include whitepapers, infographics, and videos alongside your articles, proving that you are a versatile content creator who can handle various mediums.
• Direct Pitching Interface: The platform often acts as a marketplace where companies can search the "Talent Network" and offer high-paying writing assignments directly to proven experts.

18. YouTube: The Video & Educator Proof

For anyone in video production, education, or coaching, a YouTube channel is your living portfolio. In the US, being a "Content Creator" is a respected career path, and a successful channel proves your ability to edit, your on-camera presence, and your ability to build a loyal audience. It shows that you can sustain a long-term project, manage a content pipeline, and adapt to the changing preferences of a massive global audience.

• Audience Growth Metrics: Your subscriber count and view duration data prove that you can capture and hold the attention of a target audience in a very crowded market.
• Production Quality Evidence: The visual and audio quality of your videos serves as direct proof of your skills in editing, lighting, sound design, and storytelling.
• Educational Authority: Creating "How-To" or "Tutorial" content proves that you have mastered your craft well enough to teach it to others, which is a key sign of seniority.
• Community Engagement: The comments and "Community Tab" interactions prove your ability to manage a brand’s reputation and foster a dedicated online community.
• Monetization and Sponsorships: If you have secured brand deals or are part of the partner program, it proves that your work has a high commercial value and "Market-Fit."

19. Gumroad: The Digital Product Proof

If you create digital products like E-books, Design Templates, or Notion Systems, your Gumroad profile is incredible proof of your value. It shows that you can create "Passive Income" assets and that customers are willing to pay for your expertise. In the US "Creator Economy," showing that you have sold hundreds or thousands of digital products is the ultimate proof that you understand product-market fit and digital marketing.

• Verified Sales Data: While you might hide the exact numbers, showing that a product has "500+ Sales" or a "5-Star Rating" provides objective proof of its quality and utility.
• Customer Reviews and Testimonials: The feedback from people who have actually paid for your work is the strongest form of social proof you can provide to a potential employer or client.
• Product Iteration History: Showing how you have updated a digital product over time (e.g., "Version 2.0") proves that you are committed to quality and continuous improvement.
• Marketing and Copywriting Proof: The sales page itself is a portfolio piece, proving your ability to write persuasive copy and design a high-converting "Customer Journey."
• Niche Specialization: By selling products in a specific niche (e.g., "Excel for Real Estate"), you prove that you are an expert in that particular vertical of the American economy.

20. Behance (Revisited): The Creative "Process" Proof

Behance remains a top 20 staple in the US because it is the only platform that truly allows for the "Mega-Case Study." While other sites show the "Snapshot," Behance shows the "Symphony." For creative directors in New York or LA, seeing the full breadth of a branding project from the initial napkin sketch to the final billboard is the only way to verify that a candidate has the depth required for senior-level creative roles.

• Iterative Design Phases: By showing your "Work in Progress" shots, you prove that you don't just land on a solution by accident, but follow a rigorous and repeatable creative process.
• Software Mastery Tags: Every project lists the tools used (like After Effects or Dimension), providing technical proof that you are proficient in the industry-standard "Creative Cloud" software.
• Team Credits and Roles: The ability to credit other team members proves that you are a collaborative professional who can work within the "Creative Agency" model common in the US.
• Curated Gallery Awards: Winning a "Featured in Graphic Design" or "Interaction" ribbon acts as an industry-wide verification of your elite status as a creator.
• Live Project Links: Including links to the "Live Website" or "Published Ad" alongside the Behance case study provides the final layer of proof that your designs were actually used in the real world.

How Fueler Helps You Consolidate Your Proof of Work

Managing twenty different platforms can be a full-time job in itself, which is why Fueler is essential for the modern professional. Fueler acts as the "Central Intelligence Agency" for your career. You can use it to pull the best "Proof" from your GitHub, your Gumroad sales, and your Behance case studies into one, unified, high-impact profile. Fueler is designed to help you build a "Skills-First" identity that US recruiters can understand in seconds. It ensures that your hard-earned "Proof of Work" isn't scattered across the internet, but is working together to get you hired for your dream role.

Final Thoughts

The American job market in 2026 has no room for "empty" resumes. Whether you are a developer, a writer, or a designer, your career success depends on your ability to provide objective, verifiable "Proof of Work." These 20 platforms provide the infrastructure you need to turn your daily tasks into a powerful professional brand. Pick the 3-4 platforms that best match your skills, build your "Proof," and then use a tool like Fueler to bring it all together.

FAQs

1. Which platform is best for "Career Pivoters" in the US?

For those changing careers, Fueler and Notion are the best because they allow you to group "Transferable Skills" and personal projects into a professional narrative. You can show that you are learning and applying new skills in real-time.

2. Is social proof more important than technical proof?

In the US, you need both. Technical proof (like GitHub) shows you can do the work, but social proof (like Upwork or LinkedIn recommendations) shows that people actually enjoy working with you. A balanced portfolio includes both.

3. Should I include "failed" projects in my proof of work?

Yes! A project that didn't meet its goals can be a great "Proof of Work" if you include a "Retrospective" on what you learned and how you would fix it next time. This shows the "Growth Mindset" that American companies highly value.

4. How do I protect sensitive client data in my portfolio?

You should always "Anonymize" sensitive data by blurring names and numbers or by creating a "Generic" version of the project that shows the process without revealing any "Trade Secrets." Use search terms like "How to share work under NDA" for more tips.

5. What is the fastest way to build proof with zero clients?

The fastest way is to do "Mock Projects" or "Reverse Case Studies." Find a problem in an existing product or business, solve it, and document your process on a platform like Fueler or Medium. This proves your skills before you ever get your first "Real" client.

What is Fueler Portfolio?

Fueler is a career portfolio platform that helps companies find the best talent for their organization based on their proof of work.

You can create your portfolio on Fueler, thousands of freelancers around the world use Fueler to create their professional-looking portfolios and become financially independent. Discover inspiration for your portfolio

Sign up for free on Fueler or get in touch to learn more.