Are you looking for exposure to the small side of the Australian share market?

If you are, then it could be worth considering the two small cap ASX shares listed below.

That's because analysts have just named them as buys and are tipping them to rise by approximately 20% to 50% over the next 12 months.

Let's dig deeper into why they think they could be great options for investors right now. Here's what they are saying:

Develop Global Ltd (ASX: DVP)

The first small cap ASX share that is rated as a buy is Develop Global.

It is a mining and mining services company with a lot of potential according to Bell Potter.

Its two mining assets are the Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Mine and the Sulphur Springs Zinc-Copper Project.

Whereas it is servicing a ~$400 million mining contract delivering development and production activities at the Bellevue Gold Mine and a $46 million underground development contract for the Mt Marion lithium project.

Bell Potter believes the company's earnings are about to transform for the better. It said:

DVP has demonstrated impressive execution of workflows to date to enable a timely and within-budget restart of operations at its flagship Woodlawn operations. Ramping production in FY26 is expected to coincide with increasing activity at the Mining Services business, delivering a transformation in the company's EPS outlook.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $3.50 price target on its shares. This suggests that upside of over 50% is possible from current levels.

Readytech Holdings Ltd (ASX: RDY)

Another small cap ASX share that could be a buy according to analysts is Readytech. It is a leading software as a service (SaaS) provider of mission critical software to the tertiary education, government, justice, and enterprise markets.

Morgans believes that the software company is a great example of growth on offer at a reasonable price. It said:

Its products include student management, payroll and HR solutions, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) to local government and legal case management. RDY's recent organic growth trajectory demonstrates its ability to deliver our forecast 14.5% CAGR EBITDA growth over coming years. Despite this, the company is trading at a ~20% discount to its historic average EBITDA multiple of ~11x, which we believe represents compelling value.

Morgans has an add rating and $3.74 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of 24% for investors over the next 12 months.