CoachSim™ Pro vs Robin
Peer practice and evaluated practice do different jobs.
Robin helps coaches find peers to practise with and log the hours. CoachSim™ Pro scores how well you coach against the ICF Core Competencies. Here's how they compare, and how to use both.
Both help coaches in training get more practice. They do different jobs.
A peer-practice network
It matches you with other coaches, handles scheduling and video calls, and logs your hours. Paid plans add recording, AI observations on your sessions, and a limited AI practice client.
A simulation and evaluation system
You coach a realistic AI client at a difficulty level you choose. Then every session is scored competency by competency and added to a progress record you can show to a mentor coach or academy.
Robin gives you hours with real people. CoachSim™ Pro gives you evidence of how well you coach. Most serious ACC candidates need both, and they work well together (see Using both together).
CoachSim™ Pro vs Robin: side by side
| Feature | CoachSim™ Pro | Robin |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Simulate realistic clients and evaluate your coaching | Match coaches for peer practice and log hours |
| Who plays the client | An AI client built from hundreds of real coaching scenarios | Another coach (peer), or "Sarah", an AI client, on Pro + AI |
| Feedback format | Scored evaluation for each of the 2025 ICF Core Competencies (1–5), with an observation and a suggested improvement for each one, plus a total, level and overall rating | AI observations against ICF's PCC Markers (beta). Robin says these are "no scores, pass or fail, or verdict" on readiness |
| Difficulty control | Four levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Extreme | No difficulty levels described for the AI client |
| Text or voice | Both. Hands-free Voice: you just talk, with no button to press, and the client answers with natural intonation, emotion and pauses | AI client is voice-based, in 15-minute sessions |
| Scenario range | Full scenario library, random client picks, and bring-your-own scenarios (on the 20-session Pro plan) | Pick a rehearsal; peer sessions use real topics |
| Progress over time | Progress graph across sessions, filterable by level and date | Session log and logbook export |
| AI practice volume | Individual: 10 evaluated sessions · Pro: 20. Paid once; sessions currently don't expire | 4 × 15-minute AI sessions per month on Pro + AI, with no rollover |
| Counts toward ICF coaching-experience hours | No. AI practice is skill-building, not client hours | Qualifying peer sessions may count. Robin states its AI practice does not |
| For academies | Full Cohort Management System with instructor visibility; co-branding and white-label available | Free student access through a shared link. Robin's school page doesn't describe instructor dashboards or learner scoring |
| Extras | Transcripts and evaluations downloadable as PDFs | 590+ credential-exam practice questions, recording of human sessions, coach community |
| Price | SGD 29 for 10 sessions (Individual) · SGD 49 for 20 sessions (Pro), one-off, no subscription · Academy and Corporate: custom | Free · Pro £12/mo · Pro + AI £24/mo (founding offer, first 20 subscribers) |
Competitor details verified from Robin's public website on 4 October 2026. Features and prices change, so please check Robin's pricing page for the latest.
Two ways to close the gap between knowing and doing.
Every coach in training hits the same wall. You know the competencies and you can name the models. Then a real client says "That's not really what I meant" and you go blank.
Practise more with people.
It's a good approach. Peer coaching gives you real human reactions, real topics, and hours that can count toward your credential. Robin makes it easier: no awkward emails to arrange swaps, no time-zone maths, and no spreadsheet to track hours.
Practise against a standard, and measure the result.
The client is built to push back. You choose how hard the session is, and every session gets the same strict evaluation. So you can see whether you're actually improving, not just whether you're showing up.
You can log 50 peer sessions and still have the same blind spot in Establishes and Maintains Agreements that you had on day one. Peer feedback rarely points it out, because your partner is usually a learner too, and most people are kind.
Where Robin is strong
We'd recommend Robin to many of the same coaches we serve. In particular:
Free peer practice that's well organised
Matching by niche, level and time zone, plus built-in scheduling and video, takes a lot of hassle out of peer coaching. The core platform is free.
Hours that may count
Robin notes that qualifying peer sessions may count toward ICF coaching-experience requirements (as barter). It also reminds users that a logged session isn't automatic approval. No AI tool, including ours, can give you client hours.
Low entry price
Pro at £12/month adds recording and AI session review of your real peer sessions, which is useful for reflection.
Exam prep
A bank of 590+ ACC/PCC/MCC-style questions is a nice extra if you're preparing for the credential exam.
Careful about its claims
Robin says clearly that its feedback is observation, not assessment, and that the AI can get things wrong. We respect that.
If you mainly need more people to practise with, and an easy way to log the hours, Robin is a sensible choice.
Built to show you how well you coach, not just how often.
A client designed to challenge you
"I suppose… I could speak to my manager."
Peer clients are usually cooperative. They're coaches too, and they know what you're trying to practise. Real clients aren't like that.
CoachSim™ Pro's AI client draws on hundreds of real coaching scenarios, shaped by 1,000+ hours of real coaching experience. It brings resistance, unclear goals, hidden agendas and emotional complexity. A typical Advanced session might be "Exec coaching: resistant client, undisclosed agenda." You can turn the difficulty up from Beginner to Extreme, or bring your own scenario and rehearse the exact client situation that worries you.
With the new hands-free Voice, you coach out loud, with no button to press each time you speak, and the client answers with natural intonation, emotion, hesitation and thinking pauses. You practise noticing how something is said, not only what is said. More about Voice →
Evaluation, not just observation
This is the biggest difference between the two products.
Robin's session review gives observations linked to ICF's PCC Markers, and states plainly that it gives no scores or verdict on readiness.
CoachSim™ Pro gives a scored evaluation for every competency in the 2025 ICF Core Competencies, ICF's latest update to the framework. Here's an excerpt from a real evaluation:
Each session ends with a total score, an average, a level, and an overall rating such as Certification Ready. Scoring is deliberately strict. The goal is to show your gaps early, not to make you feel good.
Evidence that builds over time
Every evaluated session is added to your progress graph, filterable by difficulty level and date. After a few weeks you don't just feel more confident. You can show it: transcripts, competency scores and a trend line.
Download any transcript or evaluation as a PDF to share with your mentor coach.
Built for academies, not only individuals
Robin offers schools free student access through a shared link, and that's helpful. CoachSim™ Pro's Academy plan includes a Full Cohort Management System.
Instructors can see who is practising, who is improving, and which competencies a cohort is struggling with, so faculty can debrief from evidence instead of guessing. Co-branding and white-label options are available.
Why this matters more in 2027
New mentor coaching hours must be with a mentor coach who holds ICF's Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS).
New ACC and PCC Portfolio applicants will no longer submit a single recorded performance evaluation. Instead they'll complete enhanced mentor coaching: at least three months, with at least three coaching sessions observed and reviewed. Source: ICF
In short, for ACC and PCC Portfolio applicants, ICF is moving from a one-off test to competence shown over time. Your mentor coach will watch you coach several times. The coaches who do best will arrive with their basic gaps already fixed, so mentor hours (often SGD 150–500 each) go on deeper development, not on fundamentals.
Peer practice builds hours. Scored, repeatable simulation shows you, and your mentor, where you actually stand.
CoachSim™ Pro is not Mentor Coaching and does not replace it. It helps you prepare for it.
We don't think this is an either/or choice.
A routine that works well for ACC candidates:
- CoachSim™ Pro
Diagnose
Run a few evaluated sessions to find your two or three weakest competencies.
- Robin
Practise with peers
Take one specific focus (for example, "clarify success criteria in the first five minutes") into your peer sessions and build eligible hours.
- CoachSim™ Pro
Stress-test
Increase the difficulty and check whether the score on that competency actually moved.
- Mentor Coaching
Bring the evidence
Show your mentor the trend, not just your feelings about it.
Robin or CoachSim™ Pro: which should you choose?
You need people and hours
- Your main need is finding peer-practice partners and logging coaching-experience hours
- You want a free or very low-cost starting point
- You want exam-question practice for the credential exam
You need to know how well you coach
- You want to know how well you coach, scored against the ICF Core Competencies, not just how often
- You want to coach out loud with hands-free Voice, and hear a client who answers with real emotion, hesitation and pauses
- You keep getting polite, vague peer feedback and want something stricter
- You want to practise difficult clients (resistant, ambiguous, emotional) before you meet one
- You're preparing for Mentor Coaching under the 2027 rules and want evidence of progress
- You run an academy or L&D programme and need visibility across a whole cohort
You're serious about your credential
You want hours and evidence. Use Robin for peer hours and CoachSim™ Pro for scored practice, then bring both to Mentor Coaching.
See the routineCoachSim™ Pro vs Robin: FAQ
Is CoachSim™ Pro a Robin alternative?+
For AI practice and evaluation, yes. For finding human peer-practice partners, no. CoachSim™ Pro doesn't match coaches with each other. Many coaches use Robin for peer hours and CoachSim™ Pro for scored practice.
Does CoachSim™ Pro practice count toward ICF coaching-experience hours?+
No. ICF coaching-experience hours require real clients. Robin says the same about its AI practice. CoachSim™ Pro is for building and proving skill, not collecting hours.
Robin now gives ICF-marker feedback. Isn't that the same thing?+
Not quite. Robin's session review (in beta) offers observations on your peer sessions using ICF's PCC Markers, and states that it gives no scores or readiness verdict. CoachSim™ Pro scores each of the 2025 ICF Core Competencies in every session, with set difficulty levels, so you can measure progress over time.
Can I use CoachSim™ Pro by voice?+
Yes. CoachSim™ Pro's hands-free Voice lets you coach out loud without pressing a button each time you speak, and the client answers with natural intonation, emotion, hesitation and thinking pauses. You can also coach by text. Robin's AI practice client is voice-based, in 15-minute sessions.
How much does each cost?+
CoachSim™ Pro: SGD 29 for 10 evaluated sessions (Individual) or SGD 49 for 20 (Pro), paid once with no subscription, and custom pricing for academies and corporates. Robin: free core platform, £12/month for Pro, and £24/month for Pro + AI (four 15-minute AI sessions per month). Prices as of 4 October 2026.
Is either product endorsed by ICF?+
No. Neither CoachSim™ Pro nor Robin is affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the International Coaching Federation.
See where your coaching really stands
Run one session against a client who pushes back, and get a competency-by-competency score in minutes.
- Robin: Home · Pricing · Session review · AI practice client · For coaching schools (all accessed 4 October 2026)
- ICF: Mentor coaching requirement replacing ACC/PCC performance evaluations · Introducing the Mentor Coach Specialization · 2025 ICF Core Competency updates
CoachSim™ Pro is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Robin is a trademark of its respective owner. This comparison is based on publicly available information as of the date above. If anything here is out of date, email us at contact@coachsim.pro and we'll correct it.