For keynotes and single-track tech conferences, my experience is you get free airfare and accommodation, plus an honorarium ranging from nothing to $2K. The mo

For keynotes and single-track tech conferences, my experience is you get free airfare and accommodation, plus an honorarium ranging from nothing to $2K. The most I ever got paid was $5K for a 15 minute talk at an O'Reilly big data conference, but that was an outlier. For a conference like Webstock (in New Zealand), the free travel to the wrong side of the planet can be worth thousands of dollars, and is part of the draw for many speakers.