Yes, we don’t need to pay anything as Windows XP ISO is 100% legally available to download for free usage along with the product /serial key.
Those are 90’s kids they for sure have experienced Windows XP, however, those have not used it so far they can still use it for free. Moreover, VM is a better option than Windows XP Mode that is only meant to be used on Win 7 and uses Virtualization as well. If you want to try out one of the prominent Microsoft OS that is Windows XP on an emulator/VM in Windows 10/8/7 then download it by following this tutorial.