One question we hear constantly from Hindi typing learners: should I learn Mangal typing or Kruti Dev typing first? Both show up across Indian government exams, offices, and courts, but they work quite differently under the hood. Here’s the honest breakdown, so you can decide, or just learn both for free on FreeSteno.in.
Mangal: The Unicode Standard
Mangal is Unicode-compliant, meaning the Hindi characters you type get stored and displayed using a universal standard that every modern browser, operating system, and app recognizes. That makes Mangal text searchable, easy to copy-paste, and consistent no matter what device you’re on. It’s why most newer government exams and official Hindi documentation now expect Mangal font typing on the Inscript keyboard layout.
Kruti Dev: The Legacy Standard
Kruti Dev is different. It’s a non-Unicode, ASCII-mapped font, which means it doesn’t follow that universal standard. Text typed in Kruti Dev can look like garbled English on a system that doesn’t have the Kruti Dev font installed. Even so, it’s still hugely popular, especially in courts and older government systems, largely because so much existing Hindi documentation was created in it over the decades and switching everything over just isn’t practical.
Side by Side
| Feature | Mangal | Kruti Dev |
|---|---|---|
| Font type | Unicode | Non-Unicode (ASCII) |
| Compatibility | Works everywhere | Needs the font installed to display right |
| Keyboard layout | Inscript (Remington also available) | Remington-based |
| Common usage | Newer govt exams, official docs | Courts, older exams, some state jobs |
| Searchability | Fully searchable text | Not searchable without conversion |
So Which Should You Learn?
Honestly, check your target exam notification first. Government exam notices almost always spell out which font, Mangal or Kruti Dev, they use for the typing test, and typing in the wrong one can get you disqualified regardless of how fast or accurate you are. If you haven’t picked a specific exam yet, or you just want to stay flexible, start with Mangal since it’s more modern and more widely applicable, then add Kruti Dev once you’re comfortable. The Remington-style key logic carries over pretty well between the two.
Practice Both, at No Cost
FreeSteno.in supports free practice in Mangal and Kruti Dev, so you don’t really have to pick one. Build proficiency in whichever your exam needs, or both if you want to stay flexible. Every practice session gives you:
- A real timer matching exam conditions
- Instant WPM and accuracy calculation
- A detailed, single-page mistake breakdown after every attempt
- Unlimited free attempts, no signup
Staying Flexible Long Term
A lot of successful government job candidates end up comfortable in both Mangal and Kruti Dev, along with strong English typing, simply because different departments and states want different things. Putting in the time on both fonts early gives you a lot more flexibility later when you’re applying to typing-based government jobs across the country.
Final Thoughts
Both fonts still matter in India’s job market, and the smart move is checking your target exam’s actual requirement and practicing accordingly, ideally building comfort in both over time. FreeSteno.in gives you free, unlimited practice in either, with instant feedback to speed things along.