what is better...ripped in 30 or weight machines

They would both work, it is completely up to you which one to do, its all a matter of which one would you enjoy doing more. As far as recovery days, ripped in 30 is set up so that you only do one recovery day a week. If you use weight machines it all depends on what you work, you should give the muscle group around 48 hrs to recover. so if you do total body weight training, then go 3x/week with a day off in between, or you could go each day and work one muscle group a day

I have not used Ripped in 30 yet, but I think switching to the gym depends on what you're looking for. If you are still looking to lose weight, I would stick with the cardio 3/4 times a week and then maybe do 2 days at the gym...one on upper body and the other on lower body. If you're happy at your weight, then you could switch it to 3/4 days of weight training and 2 days of cardio. These are just suggestions as I'm definitely no expert. Good luck!

I guess it would depend on if you wanted to build up your strength/muscles or tone. I am on week 2 of Ripped in 30 and at least so far it is toning. I also work out 1 day a week with a trainer and she has me do some weights on the machine, but each week she has me do a different workout.

Depends on what you are wanting to go for. Circuit training vs. strength training only

Ripped in 30 is a lot like 30DS with the same format, just a step up in difficulty on some of the exercises.
Its a good all over workout with the strength, cardio, and ab component. It really gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for the duration of the dvd. Its a good calorie burn and workout.

Strength training on the weight machines will help you get stronger, more firm, and tone up. These things are important.
However, with doing weight machines you aren't going to have the calorie burn that you get from circuit training with Ripped in 30 because you don't have the constant full-body movements and the cardio circuits.

But since you are doing other cardio (swimming, etc) then a good strength regimen would be good to add.
However, my opinion would be if you are adding in strength training and weight training, don't use the weight machines. Use free weights and dumbbells. Weight machines restrict your movement, not a full body workout, and attempt to work just very specific muscle groups. Free weights are much better. Check out the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women". An awesome read and if you are serious about incorporating more strength this book will get you on the right path.