As we all know, among the many hot categories in the various app stores, photo sharing apps are way up there. Instagram seems to still have the lead among the bunch with the most users, but in terms of features, it is falling behind the rest, and fast. We already discussed Burstn, which has since added the various filters, and the app that seems to be catching up to Instagram the fastest is PicPlz. Cross platform, Web interface, and many more, are features that differentiate PicPlz from the rest.

Once again, when it comes to the feature set, PicPlz has the clear lead with today’s announcement of an API. Instagram has said they are working on theirs just as they have said they are working on a Web interface, but we have yet to see that come to fruition.

Putting the competition aside, a PicPlz API can really bring the app to a whole new level. Developers can now access PicPlz photos and share them in their own apps, which as TechCrunch points out will take PicPlz from “app to platform”.

PicPlz also added a dashboard to track clicks and provide analytics for brands and celebrities, something that might quickly become a nice revenue stream.

Finally, PicPlz announced an additional feature, the ability to apply Creative Commons licenses to your photos, something that worked wonders for Flickr in the early days.

The bottom line is, photo sharing apps, like the entire app ecosystem, is a hot space right now, and these little additions and releases are eventually what are going to separate the good apps from the great ones. PicPlz is on the right path.

Update: Instagram just released their API.