3 incredible ASX 200 tech stocks for smart investors in 2026

Analysts think these buy-rated stocks could deliver big returns next year.

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Key points

  • Life360 is revving up for growth with its family safety platform, as Bell Potter sees nearly a 60% upside thanks to its expanding user base and monetisation strategy.
  • NextDC is quietly transforming into the digital backbone for Australia, with UBS envisioning a 70% uplift in shares, driven by surging demand for data infrastructure and its bold new data centre project with OpenAI.
  • Xero shines with its vast potential market of 100 million businesses, as Macquarie’s optimistic outlook suggests the stock could more than double, leveraging its strong brand and subscription model.

The tech sector has been well and truly out of form in 2025. While this is disappointing, every cloud has a silver lining.

This silver lining on this occasion is that it means there are some very attractive investment opportunities out there for investors.

Three ASX 200 tech stocks that could be bargain buys for 2026 according to analysts are named below. Here's what they are recommending:

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

Life360 is building a global platform around family safety, location sharing, and digital peace of mind. What started as a simple app has evolved into a subscription-based ecosystem with strong user engagement and growing monetisation. As families increasingly rely on connected devices and real-time information, Life360's addressable market continues to expand.

As of its last update, the ASX 200 tech stock reported monthly active users of 91.6 million. Yet it still has a very long growth runway ahead of it.

Bell Potter is bullish and has a buy rating and $52.50 price target on its shares. This suggests that upside of almost 60% is possible from its current share price of $33.22.

NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

NextDC is quietly building the backbone of Australia's digital economy. Its data centres support cloud computing, enterprise IT, and artificial intelligence workloads. As data usage explodes, demand for secure, high-quality infrastructure should grow alongside it.

The company is investing heavily today to capture tomorrow's demand, which is exactly the kind of long-term thinking I look for in an investment. This includes the recent agreement with ChatGPT owner OpenAI to build the largest data centre in the southern hemisphere.

UBS is positive on the company's outlook. It recently put a buy rating and $21.85 price target on its shares. Based on its current share price of $12.97, this implies potential upside of approximately 70% for investors.

Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)

Xero is a classic example of a company benefiting from a massive global runway. With an estimated total addressable market of 100 million small to medium sized businesses worldwide and only a fraction currently using cloud accounting software, the opportunity ahead remains enormous.

Xero's subscription model, strong brand, and growing ecosystem of integrations give it powerful competitive advantages. Short-term market sentiment may swing, but the long-term thesis for this ASX 200 tech stock looks compelling.

Macquarie continues to believe that Xero is a top ASX tech stock to buy now. A recent note reveals that its analysts have an outperform rating and $230.30 price target on its shares. Based on its current share price of $112.78, this suggests that they could more than double in value between now and this time next year.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360, Nextdc, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Life360, Macquarie Group, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Life360, Macquarie Group, and Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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