Stellar is one of my favorite projects not only because of the performance of the lumen (XLM) but also because of its technology.

I personally consider it superior to Ripple (Stellar's Jed McCaleb was involved in the creation of Ripple) not only because of its openness: "Our mission is to connect people with low-cost financial services to combat poverty and maximize individual potential" but also because of the advances they have been making.