Ripple and Ethereum are two main competitors for the position of the first altcoin after bitcoin in terms of market capitalization. The improvements and developments are scheduled for both coins in 2019, so next year promises to be interesting and intensive for these cryptocurrencies. Ethereum is about to undergo the Constantinople hard fork in January 2019.  Ripple is expected to launch xRapid. However, it is not necessary to choose, you can invest in both.