This study uniquely elucidates the tribo-mechanical impact of varying cobalt content in Ni-Co-P coatings through nanoindentation and pin-on-disc tribo test. Ni-Co-P films are deposited on AISI 1040 steel substrates from acidic electroless baths. All deposits exhibited predominantly amorphous structures, characterized by broad peaks centered on the 〈111〉 plane of fcc Ni, indicating short-range order. A transition in surface morphology was observed from smooth, hemispherical nodules in low cobalt Ni-Co-P to increasingly rougher, cauliflower-like nodular growths in high cobalt Ni-Co-P samples, which directly correlated with elevated average surface roughness. Nanoindentation results demonstrated a significant increase in both elastic modulus (from 159.5 to 209.2 GPa) and nano-hardness (from 6.59 to 9.26 GPa) with increasing cobalt content. Tribological evaluation showed a general increase in wear resistance with increasing cobalt incorporation, achieving up to 87 % reduction in wear rate. Worn surface and wear debris analysis revealed that low cobalt coatings suffered severe adhesive wear, marked by significant iron transfer from the counter surface, alongside abrasive and oxidative wear. Conversely, cobalt-rich films formed stable oxide layers, which prevented direct metal contact and suppressed adhesive wear. Notably, the coating with the highest amount of Co exhibited seemingly negative wear in the plot of wear versus sliding distance. This is largely attributed to tribo-oxide layer formation on the wear track. Material transfer from the counter surface also contributed, albeit to a lesser extent. The findings may contribute towards optimizing electroless Ni-Co-P bath and coating composition for enhanced performance in diverse tribological applications requiring wear-resistant protective layers.