but when compared with Ethereum Ripple is still less competitive. so indeed the best option remains in Ethereum.
Agree. Both of them have their real use cases in the mainstream world. Ripple is the centralized cryptocurrency which is backed by banks, while on the other hand, Ethereum is a decentralized cryptocurrency which is capable of powering applications (or smart contracts) that are censorship resistant. While both cryptocurrencies are different from one another, they are really useful in the mainstream world.
Ripple with its "Real Time Gross Settlement System" is capable of handling large transactions per second, while Ethereum's security and decentralization allows smart contracts or dapps to run as intended without any external interference. If the benefits of Ripple (speed, inexpensive costs), and Ethereum (security, censorship-resistant apps) are combined, then a "perfect" cryptocurrency would emerge to handle nearly anything on its path. As such, EOS meets such characteristics as it will provide unparalleled speeds and transaction costs, as well as decentralized apps for anyone to use without limitations.
Therefore, once EOS launches, it should be more of a question of EOS vs Ripple & Ethereum, as it becomes a fierce rival against said cryptocurrencies. Despite this, Ripple might survive for quite some time as it'll always be backed by banks, while Ethereum continues to improve into PoS and beyond. Just my thoughts