The user can choose among a number of effects which are presented in the application as simulated lenses, films and flashes.

Other vintage photography applications include CameraBag and Instagram.

[2] It received additional publicity when The New York Times photographer Damon Winter used it in 2010 to illustrate a front-page story about the Afghanistan War.

[11] Winter's images gained recognition by receiving third place in the Pictures of the Year International photojournalism competition.

[12] In 2013, P&TLuxembourg issued a series of postage stamps featuring Hipstamatic photographs realized by François Besch.