Hipstamatic, a third-party photo app, has finally been given access to the Instagram API, allowing its users to push photos to the Instagram platform. Hipstamatic was a one-time challenger to Instagram.

“When we launched, it was all about Facebook (News - Alert) and Flickr and Twitter, and now we’re seeing a huge shift in our user base toward Instagram,” said Hipstamatic CEO Lucas Buick. “We’ve never been a social networking company, but we clearly benefit from social networks. So this will be the first app outside of Instagram that lets you into their network. That’s pretty cool for us.”

What then does this mean for Hipstamatic branding? Not all is lost as every photo posted with the app will carry the clickable and downloadable “Taken with Hipstamatic” tag (News - Alert). This was a smart move for Hipstamatic despite the company having come before Instagram, whose online success seemed unstoppable with over 27 million users on the iPhone (News - Alert) alone.

Hipstamatic is first and the only app benefiting from the inside promotion offered by Instagram.

Hipstamatic’s uniqueness comes from simulating the use of an analog camera. The app has never boasted a strong community focus; integrating with Instagram gives it that edge, something that its competitors would consider an act of submission.

API clients would likely benefit from integrating with Instagram, especially those who push photos to host sites like PhotoBucket, Flickr and others. In the mean time, Hipstamatic seems to be the winning partner.